City leading United in race for £20m midfielder - reports

Manchester City are reportedly leading the race for Manchester United target Marek Hamsik.

The Slovakia captain scored 13 goals for Napoli last season and has consistently been linked with a move away from the Stadio San Paolo.

According to the Daily Star, Roberto Mancini has identified the £20 million-rated attacking midfielder as a potential January acquisition, with City currently showing a greater interest in the 24-year-old than United.

Sir Alex Ferguson has reportedly earmarked Hamsik as a cheaper alternative to Wesley Sneijder as United continue to look for a long-term replacement to Old Trafford legend Paul Scholes.




 

The United boss was keen to bring in a successor to Scholes during the summer, but missed out on Samir Nasri to City and failed to agree a fee for Sneijder.

However, United will reportedly dip into the transfer market when the window reopens, and have also been linked with Tottenham playmaker Luka Modric.