United & City Scouts Watch Over Benfica Trio in Europa League Victory

Manchester City and Manchester United were in attendance to cast an eye over potential transfer targets during Benfica's 3-1 win over Fenerbahce on Thursday evening, reports suggest.

Portuguese newspaper Abola claims representatives from the two clubs were watching over three reported targets in Ezequiel Garay, Nemanja Matic and Nicolas Gaitan as Jorge Jesus' side confirmed their presence in the Europa League final with a 3-2 aggregate win over the Turkish club.

United have been repeatedly linked with the three players on different occasions throughout the season, but Roberto Mancini's desire to restructure his side after surrendering their Premier League title to their city rivals has thrown them into the equation.

Once deemed not good enough for Real Madrid, Argentine international Garay has become one of the most sought after centre halves in Europe after a terrific campaign for the Eagles. Although the 26-year-old was guilty of giving away a dubious penalty in last night's win, he remains linked with a move to Manchester. But with Kolo Toure set to leave the club and the future of Joleon Lescott is doubt, City are perhaps in greater need of defensive recruits.

Serbian international Matic has reportedly been scouted by United on a number of occasions prior to last night's game at the Stadium of Light. In an ironic twist, Matic's presence in midfield has more than compensated for the loss of Javi Garcia, who moved to the blue half of Manchester last summer.

While the Spaniard has endured a poor maiden campaign in the Premier League, the Benfica midfielder has excelled, impressing with his determination and guile in the centre of the park.

With the future of United midfielder Anderson in more doubt than ever, the Premier League champions may see the 24-year-old as the perfect partner for Michael Carrick.

Scouts from the two Premier League clubs may have been most impressed with the performance of Nicolas Gaitan on the night. The Argentine opened the scoring for Benfica with a deft finish that settled the nerves and set the Portuguese club on the course to victory, his fourth goal of the season.

Benfica's win over Fenerbahce saw them progress to the final of the Europa League where they will take on Chelsea later this month.

While the Portuguese club may be expected to lose some of their key names this summer, they will come up against two of their former stars when they take on Rafa Benitez's side in the Amsterdam Arena. Brazilian international Ramires moved to Stamford Bridge for a reported £17 million in 2010, and was joined by David Luiz six months later in a £21 million deal, which also saw the sought after Matic move in the other direction.