With the 2022/2023 campaign now firmly behind Manchester United, Erik ten Hag’s preparations for next season are now fully underway.
The club is expected to make a number of purchases in key positions this summer, with Mason Mount edging closer to a move as the club also look to strengthen further in midfield and – most crucially of all – up front.
As reported by The Peoples Person, Chelsea may want as much as £70m for their academy graduate, while a high-quality centre forward is unlikely to go for any less.
That leaves United in need of funds, with several players in the current squad mooted to be in the shop window for the upcoming transfer window.
For months it has almost been taken as a given that Harry Maguire will be moved on. The club captain has played roughly half as much football this season as he managed in the last, despite almost always being available for selection.
The rock-solid partnership of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane has been a factor in Maguire’s limited gametime, but even Victor Lindelof and left back Luke Shaw have been preferred by Ten Hag as the season wore on.
That has led to many pundits – as well as England manager Gareth Southgate – believing that the situation simply cannot continue as it is for the Three Lions defender.
West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea have all been linked with a move. There have even been reports that a move to Italy is on the cards.
But according to Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic, all of Maguire’s suitors could be left disappointed, with claims that the centre half takes great pride in being Man United’s captain and has every intention of staying at Old Trafford.
The situation is made more complex by his £190,000-a-week wages, a financial package that only a handful of clubs could afford.
His value is said to stand at around £40m – a significant sum for a defender with just 16 starts under Ten Hag – but any approach for Maguire would need to consider the impact of the player’s salary when putting together an offer.
There are certainly worse centre backs to have as fifth choice, but Manchester United arguably need £40m a lot more than they need Harry Maguire at this time. Whether they can still secure such a fee and whether the defender will agree to move on looks far less clear than previously thought.
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