They so football goes in cycles and this couldn’t be more true of both Manchester United and Liverpool and their recent fate.
This time last year, despite Liverpool narrowly missing out on the title, Reds fans still took a moment to laugh at Manchester United after their pitiful attempt of a season under the ill-fated reign of David Moyes.
Fast forward to 2015 however and it is United who find themselves back in the Champions League spots under Louis van Gaal while a section of Reds fans seem to have lost their belief in Rodgers who is looking to get them back on side, having acted fast to bring in James Milner, Danny Ings and Adam Bogdan so far this summer.
Despite their differing fate in 2014/15, the tabloids are still linking a whole host of players with both sides from either ends of the East Lancs Road this summer and it isn’t always the case that the higher placed team always lands the talent.
We have seen in the past with the likes of Tottenham that they were able to sign up the likes of Hugo Lloris and Jan Vertonghen despite interest from Arsenal and Liverpool will be hoping they can trump their old foes to a few bigger names this time around in a similar fashion.
Here, we have identified five transfer targets who both Manchester United and Liverpool might be fighting over as the summer transfer window drags on.
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Click on the image below to reveal the 5 players Manchester United and Liverpool will fight over this summer.
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Nathaniel Clyne
Unfortunately for Southampton fans, it looks inevitable that Nathaniel Clyne will be joining up with either Manchester United or Liverpool this summer despite the Saints’ excellent 2014/15 campaign.
Liverpool fired the first shot in this transfer battle back on May 29th, however they saw their bid of £10 million quickly rejected by Ronald Koeman’s side.
Since then, Glen Johnson has been released by Liverpool and the expectations are that they will return to the Saints with a bid much closer to the £15 million mark.
Manchester United are also keen on landing Clyne this summer and playing him on the opposite side to his former team-mate Luke Shaw and it has been reported by other publications that United hold the upper hand in negotiations due to their more favourable relations with Southampton.
Liverpool of course raided St Mary’s for Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren last summer but Shaw’s transfer to Old Trafford was relative seamless in comparison.
Read into this what you will.
Jackson Martinez
The name ‘Jackson Martinez’ is seemingly inescapable in the tavern right now with a whole host of clubs chasing after his signature this summer.
The Colombian international is definitely on the move from Porto following the Copa America and Liverpool and Manchester United are two of the names being frequently linked with his services.
The latest from the Daily Star is that Manchester United are looking to hijack potential moves to either Arsenal or Liverpool by joining the race for Martinez while offering the player a lucrative contract worth £56,000-a-week.
You can imagine that Martinez would rather a join a club in the Champions League such as Manchester United or Arsenal over the likes of Liverpool and AC Milan but as we have seen in the past, this isn’t always the case.
Whoever does end up signing Martinez this summer is certain to be a very lucky club however with Martinez’s total goal haul in the Portuguese Primeira Liga currently standing at a mighty 67 strikes in just 90 appearances.
Christian Benteke
For most punters in the tavern, one of the most no-brainer type signings to make this summer is the signature of Aston Villa forward Christian Benteke.
Although the Belgian international didn’t turn up on the big stage in the FA Cup Final, the general consensus is that he could handle the pressure of moving to a bigger club such as a Manchester United or Liverpool.
The latest on his situation, as reported by The Express is that a huge hurdle still needs to be overcome in order to successfully prise him away from Villa Park with Villa chiefs having pointed the example of Fabian Delph’s remarkable turnaround in contractual negotiations.
This hurdle comes in the form of a new contract that is being offered by the Villains to Benteke and as we have seen in the past, the Belgian has been loyal to the West Midlands club when he might not have been.
Add to the fact that Tim Sherwood has brought the best out in the player once again and Benteke may yet feel that he wants to stick around at a club where he is adored by the fans as the undoubted main man.
The likes of United, Liverpool and Tottenham will of course hope this isn’t the case however.
Miralem Pjanic
While Liverpool fans by the bar admit that the signings of James Milner, Danny Ings and Adam Bogdan are sensible additions, what they are hoping for in the next few months is a new arrival that will truly get them out of their seats.
Roma’s Miralem Pjanic seems to fit this category for most and everybody is in agreement that he could relieve the creative burden off of the likes of Philippe Coutinho who was continuing to pull the strings in 2014/15.
In April, The Express led with a story that claimed Manchester United were intent on hijacking a potential swoop by the Reds for the Bosnian international.
However, when you consider the amount of riches the Red Devils can currently deploy in the attacking midfield positions, not to mention the arrival of Memphis Depay, you wonder whether United really need somebody like Pjanic.
And as for Liverpool, even they might not be in the hunt for Pjanic’s signature any more after speculation intensified over an impending move for Inter Milan’s Croatian international Mateo Kovacic who can be deployed in a similar role.
Alexandre Lacazette
Much like Jackson Martinez mentioned previously, Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette is also one of the most in-demand players in Europe right now.
Seemingly destined to move on from Stade Gerland this summer, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain have been linked with a swoop for the French international in addition to both United and Liverpool.
You can’t blame any of these parties for their heavy interest in the forward who struck an incredible 27 goals in Ligue 1 this past season, no mean feat at all despite the divisions’ inferiority compared to La Liga or the Premier League.
What our resident Reds and Red Devils fans are wary of however were reports from The Express a few days ago that claimed it was indeed PSG who were closing in on a £22 million deal for the player.
On the face of it, a move to the biggest side in French football right now looks like the most realistic switch for Lacazette who could yet end up in the Premier League in the future.
