Man Utd vs Liverpool pre-season friendly will take place in Thailand in July

Manchester United and Liverpool will face off in a lucrative pre-season head-to-head in Thailand this summer, according to reports.

The game, as part of the billed 'Phenomenon Maker' at the 'Bangkok Century Cup', would mark the Premier League rivals' first money-spinning overseas tours since the Covid-19 pandemic.

And according to organisers Fresh Air Festival, the event will host the Red Devils against the Reds in the capital city on July 12, less than a month before the new Premier League season is set to start on August 6.

United are said to be planning a more extensive pre-season tour in Australia.

However, reports they will face Melbourne Victory and Aston Villa in Melbourne and then Villa in Perth, all in mid-July, have been denied by the Telegraph's James Ducker.

Before this campaign, United faced the likes of Derby, QPR, Brentford and Everton in pre-season friendlies, while Liverpool travelled to Germany and Spain for lower-profile matches against Mainz, Hertha Berlin, Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna.

Plenty of prominent British clubs often travel abroad in pre-season for profitable matches, with Celtic and Rangers set to contest the Sydney Super Cup in November with a potential crowd of 83,000, to the consternation of both sets of supporters.

The news comes shortly after former United manager Louis van Gaal accused the Red Devils of being a 'commercial club' rather than a 'football club'.

Discussing compatriot Erik ten Hag of Ajax - in contention to replace Ralf Rangnick as boss at Old Trafford this summer - Holland chief van Gaal bemoaned the long and tiring pre-season tours encouraged by the United board.