Reports: £50m rated United & City target tells club that he wants to leave

What's the story?

The Premier League race is already on the verge of being done and dusted with league leaders Manchester City currently 11 points clear at the top of the table. The Citizens will be keen on reinforcing their side in order to maintain that lead in the future when fixtures start coming in thick and fast.

Local rivals Manchester United are currently in second place in the league and are in danger of being left in City's wake. United fans around the world will be fervently praying for City to drop points in the coming weeks, and if they should do so, United will need to capitalise on on it by going on an impressive run of their own. United manager Jose Mourinho will look at the January transfer window as an opportunity to strengthen his side by signing quality players.

Both United as well as City will be heartened to know that highly-rated defensive midfielder Fabinho has stated this will be his last season at current club AS Monaco. According to reports from the Sun, the two Manchester clubs will revive their interest in Fabinho and will try to sign him as soon as possible.

In case you didn't know...

Monaco were impressive last year, winning Ligue 1 and reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League. Their successes came about as a result of some excellent individual performances from players as well as a sound tactical setup under manager Leonardo Jardim.

Unfortunately for Monaco, their achievements alerted other clubs around Europe to the wealth of talent present in their squad. Their first-team was decimated by transfers in the summer, with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Benjamin Mendy and Bernardo Silva moving on. Fabinho was also close to leaving, with Manchester City and United showing an interest in the midfielder.

The heart of the matter

Fabinho has addressed the possibility of his departure by saying that he is yet to sign a new contract at Monaco, and has admitted that in all likelihood, this could be his last season at the club. The 24-year-old Brazilian has made over 200 appearances since initially joining them on loan from Real Madrid in 2013.

United and City will not just have to compete with each other for the Brazilian's signature, with other clubs like Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Atletico Madrid also throwing their hat in the ring.

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Author's Take

Fabinho has expressed a clear desire to move on from Monaco and the defender has no end of potential suitors. However, his father has said that he harbours a 'soft spot' for Manchester City, and he may not relish the idea of having to compete for a first-team place with the likes of Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba at United. However, he might not be able to leave until the summer transfer window.