Premier League Leaders Manchester City 'Make £45m Bid' for Shakhtar Star in Bid to Bolster Midfield

Manchester City have reportedly tabled a bid of £45m for Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred.

That is according to the Manchester Evening News, who report that the sum is below Shakhtar's valuation of their player, but City are still confident they can land him.

Pep Guardiola is believed to be in the hunt for a central midfielder to groom as a long-term replacement for Fernandinho at the Etihad, and has made the Brazilian star his chief target.

The Spaniard thinks that bringing a player in to aid and provide competition for Fernandinho is very important, and described the player as someone who has played 'a million minutes' this season.

The player is expected to extend his contract with the club, with the expiry date coming at the end of the season, but he will be 33 this year and City are looking to get someone in who can carry on in the middle when he's gone. 

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Fernandinho has been one of City's best players in a team full of brilliant performers this season, but he has always battled to remain consistent for an entire campaign.

“Maybe it’s happened in the past (struggling in the second half of the season),” Guardiola told reporters. “In the second half of last season he played good, especially when he played at full-back, a position he didn’t play regularly.

“I don’t have that feeling this season because he knows exactly what he has to do.

“We are going to take care of his minutes as much as possible, give him a break, because Fernandinho is a key player for us. He’s so important.”

Manchester United, meanwhile, are also reportedly chasing Fred, with Jose Mourinho looking for a long-term for Michael Carrick himself. So we could see the two Manchester clubs battle it out for the Brazilian star.