Transform Manchester United into Manchester City! The Red Devils' giant is poaching from their old club's academy again, aiming to sign three young midfield talents in a package deal.

Since Sir Jim Ratcliffe took over Manchester United, the club has started a "City-fication" journey. Currently, the Red Devils are brimming with "Blue Moon" influences; CEO Omar Berrada and football director Jason Wilcox hail from the same city rivals, and other departments are also staffed with their ex-coworkers, like academy chief Steven Torpey. On the player front, directly poaching first-team players from City might be unrealistic for United, but in the academy realm, many such transfers have already occurred.

British media outlet *Daily Mail* reveals that Wilcox, who worked at Man City for over a decade, is planning to bring in two more young academy talents from his former employer. His first target is Xavier Parker, an England U16 international who joined City from West Ham in 2024.

Parker, an attacking midfielder, made his debut for Man City's U18 team at age 15 and directly contributed to 10 goals in 13 Premier League U18 matches last season. However, his contract expires in June, with no renewal in sight, and he is expected to leave on a free transfer. Liverpool is also interested in Parker and has already made an offer; notably, Parker has been a Liverpool fan since childhood. United's trump card is Wilcox, who knows City inside out.

Another Man City academy player on Wilcox's radar is the also 16-year-old Karim Cassim, an England U17 international and midfielder who made 10 appearances for City's U18 side last season.

Earlier, United was reported to be interested in Man City's David Eze, even inviting him and his agent to visit Carrington. Although several Premier League clubs are also keen on him, it is widely expected that Eze will eventually join United. This 16-year-old talent, also a midfielder, has a contract expiring this summer and holds dual English and Irish nationality.

Man City's academy has been quite illustrious in recent years, winning the English FA Youth Cup final last season 2-1 against United. After Ratcliffe took over United, he placed great emphasis on the academy, publicly stating his desire to develop the club's own Mbappé. As his confidant, Wilcox has steadfastly executed the boss's "lottery ticket" strategy, signing multiple young talents each year.

And his most familiar club, City, is naturally the best target for poaching. As early as 2023, United signed Darren Fletcher's twin sons, Jack and Tyler, from City for a record fee of £1.25 million, just one of many transfers between the two clubs in recent years. Jadon Sancho, who is about to leave United upon contract expiry, is also a product of City's academy. Meanwhile, rumors suggest United is currently monitoring German international Felix Nmecha, another player developed by City.

Statistics show that 14 players have played for both Manchester United and Manchester City throughout history, including stars like Denis Law, Brian Kidd, Peter Schmeichel, Andy Cole, Andrei Kanchelskis, Carlos Tevez, and Owen Hargreaves. Although the two Manchester clubs are dubbed local rivals, their relationship doesn't seem as hostile as with Liverpool.

According to *The Athletic*, personnel movement between United and City is actually quite common. A senior figure said: "Whenever United has a job vacancy, they receive a flood of applications from Man City employees. Is it because they dislike City's work atmosphere or find the treatment there unsatisfactory? Perhaps they just want a change of scenery to continue developing."

United has also had employees join City, such as scout Gary Riley, a lifelong United fan who nonetheless worked for City and discovered a nine-year-old boy—Phil Foden!