Manchester City are not fans of what Leicester City’s Harry Maguire had to say concerning his future to the media. The 24-year-old centre-back was quoted, “I knew when I joined the Foxes that it was a big team — a big Premier League club. We’ve got a good owner who wants the club to move forward and upwards, instead of looking below us. I know the club is on an upward curve and, hopefully, I will be a part of that future.”
“Part of that future” is the gleaming smile on the faces of Leicester City fans but not the best news for Pep Guardiola right now. The current Manchester City boss has been targeting the highly rated defender for some time now and had plans of signing him up in the summer. However, it looks like he will have to either stick to his current lineup of Aymeric Laporte, John Stones, Vincent Kompany and Nicolas Otamendi at the backline or look for a replacement elsewhere.
Maguire is a key figure in the Foxes lineup who has played every single minute of every single Premier League game this season. Both the Manchester clubs are monitoring the 24-year-old and Claude Puel is delighted to fend off interests without even having a hand on the matter.
Maguire arrived at the King Power Stadium ahead of the current season for £17m and has been a prominent figure in the Leicester backline with 32 total appearances and 2 goals along with 3 assists. He started his footballing career with Championship side, Sheffield United after working his way out of the youth ranks. He made 188 senior team appearances with the Blades and showed signs of great maturity and composure at such a young age.
A call-up to the Premier League was imminent and Hull City signed him up in the summer of 2014. He had to be sent out on loan to Wigan Athletic for further development but on his return, Maguire finally found his feet in top-flight English football.
The 3 time England international is not short of talent who also is well deserved of a call-up to the national side for the 2018 FIFA World Cup since both Phil Jones and Chris Smalling are struggling at Manchester United and John Stones getting demoted to the benches after the arrival of Laporte.
Guardiola is not done making additions – that you can be sure off. But with Eliaquim Mangala set to make a return after his loan spell to Everton, it is unlikely that he would need another defender now that his backline is already worth upwards of £250m.
