Manchester City are ready to make a £35million bid for
Benfica star Nicolas Gaitan.
The Argentina international is also on Manchester United's
radar, but City are hoping to beat their local - and title - rivals
to his signature by simply out-bidding them.
City officials are understood to have contacted their Benfica
counterparts this week and made clear their desire to sign the
23-year-old attacking midfielder.
Gaitan is viewed as one of the most exciting and dynamic young
players in the world, and impressed in Benfica's Champions League
encounters with United earlier this season.
City had him watched in a recent Portuguese League Cup game
against Maritimo, and football administrator Brian Marwood is
understood to have begun the process of trying to formalise a deal
with Benfica.
United have been keeping tabs on Gaitan for the past year and
had their scouts assess him last month, having also had him watched
in games against Naval and Sporting Lisbon earlier this season.
But with manager Sir Alex Ferguson understood to have been set a
spending limit of around £30m to spend in the summer, Gaitan looks
to be out of reach - unless he raises additional funds through
player sales.
Gaitan has a release clause of around £35m written into his
contract and City are said to be willing to meet that figure in
order to get their man.
United may instead switch their attention to Gaitan's team-mate
Javi Garcia, a more defensive-minded midfielder who also impressed
in those Champions League games against the Reds.