City to hijack Man Utd transfer after 12 months of work to fend off Chelsea and Bayern

A host of European clubs are interested in signing Youri Tielemans

MANCHESTER UNITED have been trailing Anderlecht midfielder Youri Tielemans for over a year - and are ready to beat Manchester City to the youngster.

 

Tielemans, 18, is expected to leave Anderlecht in the January transfer window, with United and City both keen on his serves.

The Daily Star today claim a £30million bid will be required to prise the ace away from Belgian football.

And it is claimed City have only been alerted to the star's availability by United's scouting activity.

 

It is understood United manager Louis van Gaal is preparing to spend bid in January after already forking out around £250m on new players since his arrival at Old Trafford in 2014.

The Dutchman last weekend expressed his frustration at United's lack of goals following their 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace.

"I am not happy because if you want to be the champions, you have to win these kinds of matches," Van Gaal said.

"Arsenal beat Swansea, for example. We lost against Swansea, even though we were the better team, but they have beaten them 3-0."

But Van Gaal may struggle to land Tielemans as City's Belgian contingent, which includes Vincent Kompany and Kevin De Bruyne, reportedly makes them an attractive prospect.

 

Meanwhile, Chelsea are also said to be eyeing up Tielemans.

They, along with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, are linked by the Daily Star to Anderlecht's midfielder, who boasts three goals in 16 appearances this season.

However, the Blues are unlikely to add to their squad this winter unless they offload a player first - a transfer method they used in the summer window.