Spanish struggles show power swing in Manchester from United to City

Even as Manchester United received another kick in the teeth with the news that Karim Benzema will join Real Madrid rather than move to Old Trafford, Manchester City manager Mark Hughes was speaking confidently about his hopes of signing Samuel Eto'o from Barcelona.

There can be no comparison of the two Manchester clubs on the pitch, where United have consistently outstripped City for years. Off the pitch, though, the wealth of City's owners - the ruling family of Abu Dhabi - appear to make it one of the few clubs currently able to stand toe-to-toe with the giants of La Liga.

This summer has seen a major switch from recent years, when the financial strength of the Premier League saw star players from across the globe flock to England. With the euro strong against the pound and increasing tax rates giving players concern about wages in Britain, combined with Barcelona's effortless romp to the Champions League trophy, the balance appears to have shifted in favour of La Liga.

In addition, while banks in Britain have tightened belts, Spanish banks Santander and Caja Madrid have handed hundreds of millions of dollars to Real Madrid and returning club president Florentino Perez to fund the club's summer largesse. Madrid broke the world transfer record to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from United for US$130 million, as well as signing Kaka - formerly a target of City - for more than US$90 million. Now the Spanish giants have triumphed in another tussle, capturing United's number one target, France and Lyon striker Benzema, for nearly US$50 million, and are favourites to sign Franck Ribery, another United target, from Bayern Munich.

To date, while City have splashed out US$50 million on England midfielder Gareth Barry and Paraguay striker Roque Santa Cruz, United have added just Wigan winger Antonio Valencia to their squad. In addition, City are hot favourites to sign Carlos Tevez, who rejected a contract offer from United after two years on loan at the club. It marks a dramatic turnaround from last summer, when Dimitar Berbatov snubbed City to join United on the last day of the summer transfer window.

Still, while City may be gaining the upper hand on United in the transfer market, the club has a long way to go to make up the gap on the pitch. United have won the last three Premier League titles, levelling Liverpool's record of 18, while the second of Manchester City's two championship wins was more than 40 years ago, and the club finished tenth in last season's Premier League. United's eyes will still be trained on the title next season, while a top four finish - and Champions League qualification - would no doubt be more than satisfactory to their cross-city rivals.

• Manchester United: The world's 8th most valuable sports property

Contact the author