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Pep Guardiola Set To Hijack Manchester United’s Attempt To Escape $12M+ Loss: Reports

Published 03/16/2024, 8:00 AM EDT

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via Reuters

Pep Guardiola and Manchester City have historically been aggravating Manchester United’s woes on the field. The master tactician has won has won 15 times in his 25 meetings against the Red Devils. Notably, the Cityzens came from behind to cripple Manchester United 3-1 in their most recent clash. Now, the Spanish boss and City’s front office are plotting a multi-million dollar move that could eventually be detrimental to its arch-rival’s attempts to galvanize their midfield.

Erik ten Hag’s side is currently the 6th seed in the English Premier League table, 7 points shy of the 4th-seeded Aston Villa. If United fail to secure a Top 4 finish, they likely won’t see the upcoming UEFA Champions League. And, if the Red Devils miss out on the UCL, their shirt sponsor Adidas will punish them heavily.

Pep Guardiola’s mega move could thwart Manchester United’s UCL dreams and upset Adidas!

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Manchester United’s midfield is truly lacking the cutting edge. Erik ten Hag has been forced to extensively depend on youngster Kobbie Mainoo lately because Casemiro and Christian Eriksen aren’t fit for every game. Meanwhile, the much-hyped Sofyan Amrabat has failed to justify the hype. What else does a club need to have their UCL prospects in jeopardy? In a move that could end this concern, they showed interest in Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes. As a bolt from the blue, Pep Guardiola is also reportedly eyeing the Brazilian, who has a $127 million release clause. As per AS, City officials have already approached the midfielder’s entourage for the potential move.

via Reuters

If United loses to City’s Abu Dhabi-based owner’s spending prowess, ten Hag will continue his hunt for a midfielder. The longer the hunt, the thinner will be the Red Devil’s chance to make it to the UCL. Each time Manchester United doesn’t qualify for the European competition, Adidas will reportedly hit them with a $12.7 million penalty. This comes under the club’s $114 million-a-year kit deal with Adidas. Considering Guardiola’s recent words and growing interest in the Newcastle midfielder, United is quite likely to miss out on the Brazilian.

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Guardiola is highly impressed by Bruno Guimaraes’ skills, terming him a ‘complete’ midfielder

Manchester City faces Newcastle United in an FA Cup tie, later today. Before the game, Pep Guardiola spent quite some time praising Bruno Guimaraes. “At set-pieces, he’s aggressive and is a real, complete holding midfielder since being at Lyon and now at a club who want to grow up and up,” Guardiola said, referring to the 26-year-old Brazilian. If the Spaniard is this impressed by the Magpies’ midfielder, he would badly want to pair the latter with Rodri.

via Reuters

Besides Guimaraes, Manchester City has other midfielders such as Joshua Kimmich and Douglas Luiz on their radar. But at the moment, they are prioritizing Guimaraes. If the Brazilian and the Sky Blues put a deal to paper, it would arguably have a domino effect on Manchester United, which could halt the club from making it to the UCL. Do you see that happening? Tell us in the comments.

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Written by:

Krishna Prasad M

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Krishna Prasad is Soccer Writer at EssentiallySports. Unlike others, his journey as a sports enthusiast was not colored by soccer initially. The 2006 FIFA World Cup, however, changed his perspective, as the beautiful game took up a small space in his heart.
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Edited by:

Daniel D'Cruz