Jerome Boateng Rumoured to Be a Target for Manchester United, Manchester City

Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng is reportedly set for a £50 million transfer to either Manchester United or Manchester City, with the Germany international likely to seek a move away from the Allianz Arena this summer, per Mike McGrath for The Sun.

The 29-year-old left Man City in 2011 after a relatively unsuccessful spell in the north-west, but he could be on his way back to the club now that Pep Guardiola is in charge. The two worked together when the Catalan was Bayern head coach, and the 47-year-old is reportedly keen to be reunited with the powerful centre-back.

However, City face competition from the red half of Manchester, as well as Real Madrid and Barcelona, according to McGrath.

United have endured some difficulty in defence this season despite conceding a mere 23 league goals so far. Phil Jones and Chris Smalling have both underperformed at times, putting their England starting places under threat, while Victor Lindelof has started just nine Premier League matches in 2017-18.

Boateng, who has earned 68 caps for Germany and will feature regularly in the World Cup this summer, has historically been plagued with injuries but is enjoying a more stable campaign this year. The 29-year-old has played 16 times in the Bundesliga and six times in the Champions League.

Michael Sohn/Associated Press

The Bayern defender said he nearly left the club last summer after injuries saw his relationship with then-manager Carlo Ancelotti deteriorate. 

"Maybe because I played not that much with him as coach, he saw me as less because of my injuries," Boateng told Kicker in October 2017 (h/t Goal). "I had a conversation with the leaders about how they see me in the summer, I said I was thinking about it [a transfer]."

Despite now being more settled under Jupp Heynckes, "sources close to the player" say Boateng is ready to finally move on, according to McGrath. Consequently, it looks like there will be plenty of clubs battling it out for the German's signature this summer.