According to reports in Italy, Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been linked with an exit this summer and is attracting interest from multiple top Italian clubs such as Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan. The Red Devils wish to offload the English defender as part of their rebuild under manager Erik ten Hag.
The 30-year-old has been the target of heavy criticism due to his poor performances in the last few years at Old Trafford. The former Leicester City defender arrived at the Theatre of Dreams in the 2019-20 season as the most expensive defender in Premier League history. He made the starting line-up straight away, however, the fans’ excitement didn’t last long.
Since the 2nd season of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s management, the England international has been making costly mistakes which led to United suffering defeats in crucial matches. Fans have also mentioned that the defender should not have retained the captain’s armband now that his gameplay has suffered so much. However, he does perform quite good for England and was a top player at Leicester before he arrived at Old Trafford.
According to 90min, Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan are interested in signing Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire this summer. The report states the Serie A clubs are weighing up potential loan deals for the 30-year-old defender with an option to buy.
The Red Devils are prepared to let the English centre-half leave, but they want to recoup some fee by sealing a permanent transfer. However, securing any substantial fee will be difficult, especially with his high £190,000-a-week salary. Ten Hag is determined to offload the defender to free up some part of the wage bill and allow budget flexibility.
🚨 Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus have all been credited with an interest in Harry Maguire, such is the belief the league really could be ideal for him in this moment. @DeanJonesSoccer #MUFC pic.twitter.com/HwczPoAmT7
— UtdPlug (@UtdPlug) May 28, 2023
In the recently concluded 2022-23 season, the Red Devils were knocked out of the Europa League in the Quarter-finals. Maguire once again made a massive mistake which led to United conceding the first goal in the second leg against Sevilla. They eventually lost the game 3-0. It was after this game that Erik ten Hag decided to drop him and use Luke Shaw as a makeshift centre-back who did a better job.
Manchester United are in the transfer market looking for a new centre-back. They want to bring in a replacement for Harry Maguire when he leaves Old Trafford. However, the English club may have to look for a suitable destination for the defender to leave first.
Is Selling Harry Maguire Permanently A Better Option for Manchester United?
The Serie A is known for being a league that develops great players in the defensive department. Harry Maguire can profit from a move to the Italian league where the football played is slow compared to England. Moreover, the three clubs – Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan, that are interested in Maguire all challenge for the league title.
The 30-year-old’s lack of pace is a reason behind many of his mistakes. He needs to learn in order to become disciplined tactically and understand which positions are better during different defending scenarios. In Serie A, he will learn to anticipate the game better and not let his weaknesses get the better of him.
However, the interest from Italy is only for a loan move with an option to buy. Meanwhile, United want to sell the player to get funds to invest in other players. Lack of clarity over the ownership is causing them problems in their transfer plan as they are still unsure about their budget for the transfer window. However, it is clear that the Red Devils will have to raise most of their transfer budget through player sales.
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Moreover, Harry Maguire is not a player who fits into Erik ten Hag’s plans for the future. Despite being the club captain, United and their fans will not be troubled when the Englishman joins another club permanently, offering them enough funds to sign a replacement centre-back.
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