England central defender Harry Maguire’s impressive performances at the World Cup has made him a prime target for Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, according to British media reports on Saturday.
The 25-year-old is believed to want to secure the move although Leicester’s Thai owners are reluctant to sell after another of their stars Algerian forward Riyad Mahrez moved to champions Manchester City last month for a club record fee of œ60million ($79million). Maguire, who impressed alongside John Stones in England’s run to the World Cup semi-finals, will cost œ65million with part of the outlay being offset by selling Argentinian defender Marcos Rojo – United value him at œ30million – and Italian full-back Matteo Darmian, the Daily Mirror claims. Rojo is attracting interest from Premier League newboys Wolverhampton Wanderers whilst Darmian is coveted by both the Milan clubs. According to the Daily Mail the injury-prone 28-year-old Rojo – who cost United œ16million when he signed from Sporting Lisbon in 2014 – has been removed from the club’s branding by the marketing department for the upcoming season.
The Sun reports that Maguire’s chances of moving to United could depend on whether Leicester are successful in buying Newcastle skipper Jamaal Lascelles, they are preparing a œ35million bid for the player voted by the fans The Magpies player of last season.
