Manchester City have entered the race to sign Nicolas Gaitan from Benfica this summer and are prepared to outbid Liverpool in order to land their man, according to the Daily Star.
Liverpool have been long linked with Gaitan as they look to add the final piece of the puzzle to their attacking line-up, while Manchester United are also believed to hold an interest in the Argentina international.
However, City have sparked been alerted to the availability of the winger and are keen to add him to their ranks, with a £30million bid being prepared to bring Gaitan to the Etihad stadium.
Benfica are loath to lose one of their star players, but with Gaitan keen to move on to a bigger league, they are willing to grant the wishes of the Argentine should a side meet their asking price in the summer.
The Portuguese club will not discuss any transfer deal until after the World Cup however, as they believe that an impressive World Cup campaign for Gaitan could see his market value rocket and enable them to command a larger fee from any potential suitors.
City do possess the financial clout to outbid either of their Premier League rivals should it come to a bidding war, but they will be wary of breaking Financial Fair Play rulings after UEFA clamped down on their outgoings and hit them with a £50m fine.
