Manchester United are eyeing a move for Harry Maguire who has been priced at £50m by Leicester City. Jose Mourinho might just have concluded his business for offensive additions but it looks like he will be addressing the defence in next transfer window.
Maguire is a key figure in the Foxes lineup but given the right price after, they might have to part ways with him. Both the Manchester clubs are monitoring the 24-year-old and this will help Claude Puel get a higher price and better financial leverage to find a replacement.
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 31 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.
United have been without Eric Bailey since November of last year and the defensive backline has looked less than impressive in recent times. Phil Jones has struggled to find a consistent bit of form and very unimaginatively guided in Kevin Trippier’s grounded cross into his own goal in the 0-2 loss to Tottenham Hotspur on 1st February.
Chris Smalling has also been an uninspiring presence and has a tendency to drift off in between games. Daley blind has hardly featured for the team at all this season and Mourinho was ready to offload him in January. Victor Lindelof’s game still requires a decent amount of development and the Swede will need a season or two to settle into the lead role as a centre-half.
With their town rivals running away with the Premier League trophy, Mourinho still hopes of making a strong statement in the Champions League. They are about to face Sevilla in the Round of 16 next week and the former Galactico manager is hoping to see Bailey return to the lineup.
Maguire is already a proven talent who is capable of playing against the best in England. His work ethic along with the motivation to improve with each game makes him a prized possession for any team.
