Manchester City have an extra incentive for keeping an eye on Manchester United's activities in the next transfer window.
It is always wise to keep an eye on the players that your rivals are buying, and Alexis Sanchez and Fred offer interesting examples of players that Pep Guardiola was interested in that have ended up at Old Trafford.
City already had a financial interest in United's movements this summer as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer chases former City youngster and Dortmund sensation Jadon Sancho. Reports this week have suggested the Bundesliga club are holding out for a fee over £100m, which would net the Blues a significant windfall.
A sell-on clause of 15 per cent on top of the £8m fee was negotiated with Dortmund when Sancho left the Etihad in 2017, meaning for example that a £100m transfer fee would give the Blues £13.8m.
The MEN reported this week that United are looking at Schalke winger Rabbi Matondo as a cheaper alternative to Sancho in a market that has been made more uncertain by the financial impact on the game from Covid-19. Schalke are said to be looking to sell first-team players, which could help United strike a bargain deal.
Thanks to the terms agreed when Matondo departed City's academy, the Blues will get 10 per cent of any fee paid by Matondo's next club. That will undoubtedly be significantly lower than any slice of Sancho's fee, but United's targeting of a second former City youngster increases the chances of United indirectly paying City for players this year.
