Manchester City have drawn first blood in the huge transfer battle taking place in Manchester this summer as Pep Guardiola’s side completed a stunning move yesterday to bring Bernardo Silva to the club from Monaco- beating the Red Devils to the Portuguese ace’s signature.
Both the Citizens and Manchester United will consider anything less than Premier League success next season a failure and the move from Manchester City has asserted their position as favourites ahead of the new campaign, putting pressure on their title rivals.
With Manchester United having finished sixth in the Premier League this season, it’s clear Jose Mourinho’s side have a wealth of work to do in the summer and significant signings are needed- with the Red Devils now under pressure to respond to City’s early move.
Fortunately for Mourinho’s side, Manchester City’s move to sign yet another attacking midfielder has not fixed the issues that Guardiola needs to in his squad as top-class defenders and a new goalkeeper need to be drafted in.
However with Manchester United also looking to bolster their defensive lines, and potentially on the market for a new goalkeeper if David De Gea joins Real Madrid, the Red Devils may find their arch-rivals fighting them for the same signatures this summer.
Manchester City’s move to make a superstar signing puts the ball in United’s court to do something similar and there is concern regarding Mourinho’s transfer strategy this summer, as prime-target Antoine Griezmann has changed his tune in recent days.
After flirting with an exit at the start of the week, the French striker has since played down the chances of him leaving Atletico Madrid this summer- which is a worrying sign for Manchester United fans as it brings back memories of the unsuccessful attempts to sign the likes of Toni Kroos and Sergio Ramos.
Manchester United cannot afford to rest on their laurels this summer and need their first signing to be a real statement of intent, so their activity needs to be immediate and Mourinho cannot afford to wait around for a few more weeks- especially if he’s already identified the players he wants to bring in.
City have shown they’re not prepared to sit on the back foot and will continue to push for further names in the coming weeks, which could leave Manchester United facing a huge catch-up ahead of the new season in August.
Fortunately, there’s still plenty of time for Manchester United to complete the business they need to do but the ball is certainly in their court.