Fans paying £1,300 a ticket to see City v United

Desperate fans are shelling out a record £1,300 for tickets to Monday night’s crucial Manchester derby.

All 48,000 tickets for the City v United match, which could have huge repercussions for this season's Premier League title, were snapped up a month ago.

Now, supporters hoping to see the game in person are being quoted prices of up to TWENTY-SIX times the £50 face value by online agencies.

One website, 1st4footballTickets, is offering a pair of tickets in a home section of the Etihad Stadium for £2,612.50 – thought to be the highest price ever asked for a domestic game in this country.

United season ticket holder John Corless, 49, said: “There must be some very wealthy fans… most supporters will just have a nervous night in front of the TV.”

Kevin Parker, of the Manchester City Supporters Club, said: "I can never understand a genuine football fan selling their ticket. I would much rather be at the game.”

The crunch fixture, which kicks off at 8pm, is being billed as the league decider.

A win for United would remove a major obstacle in Sir Alex Ferguson’s bid to clinch a 20th league title.

But victory for City would see them take over at the top of the table on goal difference with just two games to play.

A police spokesman said: “We would warn fans that if they buy tickets online they could be fakes, and if home fans end up in the away end or vice versa they will be identified early on and ejected.”