United and City Set for Summer Battle Over £27m-Rated Striker - Report

Manchester United are set to go head-to-head with their arch rivals Manchester City as both the clubs are considering an approach to sign Fiorentina striker Stevan Jovetic this summer.

The Sun claims United and City are ready to meet the Montenegrin international's £27m release clause mentioned in his contract. Jovetic is looking for a weekly wage of £120,000 and United are believed to be willing to match his demands in order to beat City and bring the striker to Old Trafford.

The Premier League champions have long been interested in signing Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski. However, the German club's manager Jurgen Klopp earlier revealed the Pole will join their league rivals and Champions League winners Bayern Munich next year.

The report claims the Citizens new manager, Manuel Pellegrini was all set to bring Jovetic to the Etihad during the summer. However, United boss David Moyes has entered the race and is believed to give their derby rival competition for the striker's signature.

Fiorentina already completed the signing of German international Mario Gomez from Bayern Munich. Jovetic's agent, Fali Ramadani was in London this week and is believed to hold negotiations with the suitable buyers.

The Serie A outfit are now set to let Jovetic leave this summer. Fiorentina president Andrea Della Valle revealed that the striker will not be sold unless his asking price is met.

"Either they give us €30 million, or it's off. If they don't give it to us, we will give him to somebody else. We need to know if they have the money or not. I believe they do have it. We're not going to accept anything to offset the fee; we are not dropping below €30 million and we're not going to wait much longer," Della Valle explained.

City have already lost Carlos Tevez after the former United striker made a switch to Juventus. The Citizens are left with Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko. With the latter's future hanging in the balance at the Etihad, bringing in a striker in the transfer window has been a priority for Pellegrini.

The Manchester clubs could face competition from their league rivals in landing the striker. Arsenal have long been linked with a move to sign Jovetic and Chelsea are also keen on bringing the Montenegrin international to Stamford Bridge this summer.