Manchester United and Manchester City are reportedly set to lock horns in pursuit of Juventus defender Alex Sandro.

Italian publication Calciomercato has claimed that Manchester United and Manchester City are interested in Juventus defender Alex Sandro. The left-footed Brazilian has been hugely impressive for I Bianconeri at left-back and is now being courted by the Manchester duo, as Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola both aim to strengthen their wide defence.

Sandro signed for Juventus in a €26 million transfer from FC Porto in the summer of 2015. The 25-year-old slowly established himself in the first-team setup at the Juventus Stadium, and has established a claim to being one of the best left-backs in Europe at the moment.

The left-back has now grown into an even more integral figure for the Old Lady, featuring in all of the defending champions’ Serie A fixtures this season. The 25-year-old has also produced a decent return of 1 goal and 3 assists so far.

Shooting towards the Premier League? (Picture Courtesy - AFP/Getty Images)

Shooting towards the Premier League? (Picture Courtesy – AFP/Getty Images)

Jose Mourinho has been left unimpressed by the performances of the left-back options in his current squad, namely Luke Shaw, Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo. The Portuguese has been compelled to deploy right-back Matteo Darmian on the left several times, and the Red Devils have been linked with a foray into the transfer market in January to add to the options.

Pep Guardiola, on the other hand, has the duo of Aleksandar Kolarov and Gael Clichy available to him at Manchester City. But both the players are already 31 and slowing down, which has seen City being linked with additions to the left side of the defence.

Sandro’s current contract runs till 2020 and the player, being an integral part of the first-team setup, is unlikely to be allowed to leave by Juventus. The Bianconeri have let key players leave for exorbitant prices though, cue Paul Pogba, and could let Sandro leave for the Premier League, should they receive an irresistible offer.

The Calciomercato article has also speculated that Juventus are unlikely to pay heed to low offers and that bids of €60 million and upwards might be necessary in order to land the 25-year-old. The Manchester duo are unlikely to have any problem in shelving out the cash if they deem the player a necessary addition to their present roster.

Sandro played with Paul Pogba for a whole season and has been playing with Manchester United legend Patrice Evra at Juventus ever since his arrival in Turin. If both the clubs do go in for Alex Sandro, the aforementioned players’ influence might just tip the scale towards the red half of Manchester. But as of now, it stays a question of if and not when.

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