“Not on the cards”: United’s ambitious plans to land City midfield wonderkid foiled – report

Apart from first team incomings, Manchester United are also focused on adding talented players to their academy pipeline. Colombian wonderkid Cristian Orozco is all set to arrive, while the Red Devils are also looking to add several homegrown prospects. Charlton Athletic’s Tyrie Arojogun, Derby County’s Blake Henry, and Liverpool’s Isaac Konde are just some of the names linked with a switch to Old Trafford. INEOS are also planning a couple of ambitious raids on their noisy neighbours, Manchester City, with David Eze, Karim Cassim, and Xavier Parker on their radar. United eyeing several of City’s brightest talents Jason Wilcox, who spent a considerable amount of time at the blue side of Manchester, is the driving force behind said deals. However, The Manchester Evening News have now revealed that one academy ace might not be making the move from City to United this summer. “Academy sources have played down interest in Manchester City’s 16-year-old Xavier Parker. “The creative midfielder joined City two years ago from West Ham, and there has been noise around a move to United this summer, but it’s understood that it’s not on the cards.” Xavier Parker unlikely to make the switch to United The England Under-16 international can play up top as well as in midfield, and he netted six times while registering seven assists in all competitions last season for City’s Under-18 side. Whether United can complete the other two deals remains to be seen. However, it would be a show of intent if INEOS were to secure City’s most promising starlets as they push to ensure Carrington once again reigns supreme in terms of youth development in England. On the senior side of things, City have already beaten United to the punch for Elliot Anderson, while the Red Devils have also lost to Tottenham Hotspur in the race for Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes. INEOS are now scrambling to find cover, with United linked with a whole host of midfielders outside the Premier League including Aurelien Tchouameni, Ayyoub Bouaddi, and Johan Manzambi. Feature image Alex Livesey via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25