Runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City are ‘working on’ a deal to sign midfielder Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk, as reported by the Telegraph.
The Manchester outfit have been looking to boost their defensive midfield options with only Yaya Toure and Fernandinho in this position, with both players now the wrong side of 30.
City don’t necessarily want to sign a defensive midfielder before the end of the month but are keen to find a solution prior to the start of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
City entered discussions with the club over a year ago but are wary of the price getting too high, with a number of other clubs showing an interest in the player, such as Manchester United and Arsenal. Due to their current position, though, the player would seemingly favour a move to the blue half of Manchester.
The two clubs have a very good working relationship after the pair combined as Fernandinho came to City from Fred’s current club in a deal worth £30 million in 2013 and City hope to finish a deal for the midfielder at a similar price.
Shakhtar don’t want to lose the player mid-season ahead of their Champions League last 16 match, whilst City know that the player wouldn’t be able to feature for them in the same competition, so a summer move would make sense for all parties.
