With the transfer deadline looming ever closer, Manchester United are considering their transfer options and are prepared to pay £50million for Leicester and England centre-back Harry Maguire.
Most major outlets, including The Times and The Telegraph, suggest that manager Jose Mourinho will pursue a huge move for Maguire to bolster his defensive options which look criminally poor centrally.
Even though David De Gea won the golden glove last season and only conceded 28 goals, the second least in the league, it still wasn’t enough to get close to eventual Premier League champions Manchester City. One position that United boss Mourinho has pinpointed is in defence, and more specifically a ball playing centre-back such as the 25-year-old.
World Cup has sparked Man United interest
Maguire had a terrific first season at Leicester, culminating in a World Cup call-up where he was arguably England’s best player. His aerial ability and hard-tackling really stood out, but it was his ball playing, and the capacity to bring the ball out of defence and begin attacks that really perked the interest of teams across Europe.
It is something that United have been severely lacking in recent seasons and not since the days of Rio Ferdinand have United had a centre-back who is so comfortable on the ball. Maguire would certainly fit the bill and is a player that would undoubtedly thrive at such a club as Man United.
High price, high reward?
The price tag may be something that would come under scrutiny were he to arrive at Old Trafford this summer but with some of the transfer fees fleeting about recently, £50million can be considered a good price for such a talent with plenty of years left in him.
Jose Mourinho had been widely tipped with a move for such players as Tottenham Hotspur's Toby Alderweireld and Bayern Munich’s Jerome Boateng but any move has failed to materialise as of yet. Both players are pushing towards the twilight years of their careers, though, and it could be argued that their best years are behind them.
The smart money would be to invest in younger talent and players which Mourinho can mould into his style of play and Maguire fits that. With only three signings this summer and a couple of those being predominantly squad players, a marquee signing could be just the lift that the squad needs before United kick off the season against Leicester City on 10th August.