There is "the growing possibility of a first Manchester derby overseas this summer," according to Jack Gaughan of the London DAILY MAIL. Both club managers are taking their squads to America on preseason tours and "will be involved" in the Int'l Champions Cup. Formal talks have reportedly taken place between the rivals, "with a willingness on both sides to arrange a showpiece friendly." The clubs "were set to do battle in China last year but heavy rain in Beijing" saw it canceled. ManU and Man City "should announce their tour plans next month, with their derby not yet confirmed" (DAILY MAIL, 2/22).
SOCCEROOS TO HOST BRAZIL: In Melbourne, Ronny Lerner reported Victorian Sports Minister John Eren "is confident Brazil and Argentina will bring their strongest squads to Australia, when they face each other and the Socceroos" at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in June. Australia will play Brazil on June 13 in a friendly, "a clash the FFA had been hoping to schedule," with the South American side in Melbourne for a "blockbuster clash" with Argentina four days earlier. Eren was "buoyed by recent results" in the Champions League. Barcelona suffered a 4-0 loss in the first leg of its round-of-16 meeting with Paris St. Germain. Eren: "Not that I don't like Barcelona, but the fact that they lost 4-0 means that those players may be free" (THE AGE, 2/23).