Pep Guardiola is confident of landing Danny Rose for £50million this summer – with Luke Shaw heading to Tottenham as his replacement.
The Manchester City boss has targeted England full-back Rose as a key part of his revamp at the Etihad.
Guardiola needs to rebuild his defence with Gael Clichy, Bacary Sagna and skipper Vincent Kompany all set to be shipped out.
And Spurs left-back Rose will be the first part of Guardiola’s plan.
Spurs are not in a position where they need to raise funds but with the re-building of White Hart Lane now expected to top £750m, neither are they in a position where they can turn down such a mammoth offer.
And, in turn, they will look towards Manchester United for a replacement – and relieve Shaw of his torment at Old Trafford.
Effectively, that means swapping one England international for another – and the potential £20-30m saving will help Daniel Levy’s cash-flow.
Shaw’s days under Jose Mourinho look increasingly numbered.
He has started matches for his new Portuguese boss this season, but mainly in the cup competitions, and his name has already been circulated to several agents.
And Spurs are likely to take the plunge, particularly as, at the age of 21, Shaw has significant experience and time on his side to re-build his career.
Rose only penned a fresh four-and-a-half year contract with the north Londoners a few months ago.
But Manchester City can offer a double-your-money deal – and that will be too tempting for the player to refuse.
The left-back has established himself as one of the most consistent performers of Spurs’ resurgence under boss Mauricio Pochettino.
But with Sheikh Mansour having given the green light to Guardiola to make significant changes this summer, the former Barcelona boss has Rose’s name at the top of his list.