Club eyes ‘huge’ Maguire swoop, boss thinks Man Utd flop can be a ‘hero’ amid ‘shambolic’ season
Leicester City are reportedly interested in re-signing Manchester United captain Harry Maguire in the summer transfer window.
Maguire spent two seasons at the King Power before he secured an astonishing £80million transfer to United.
The England centre-back established himself as a top defender during his time at Leicester but his time at Old Trafford has been extremely turbulent.
After five months in Manchester, Maguire was named club captain by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but this has only added to his pressure and criticism after many questioned his huge transfer fee.
Maguire was a key player under Ralf Rangnick and Solskjaer, despite his shaky performances, but has fallen out of favour this term following the appointment of Erik ten Hag.
The Dutch manager signed Lisandro Martinez last summer and the Argentine has developed a decent partnership with Raphael Varane, who struggled to adapt to English football in 2021-22 after his move from Real Madrid.
Martinez and Varane’s solid displays have resulted in Maguire being a benchwarmer, except for in the FA Cup and the early rounds of the Carabao Cup.
The 30-year-old’s future at Old Trafford is in doubt, though it is unclear where he could end up if he does leave at the end of the season.
He was linked with a move to Chelsea last summer, but that never materialised, while there remains uncertainly over what sort of fee United will ask for should he be put up for sale.
Signed for £80m in 2019, it would be extremely surprising if the Red Devils manage to recoup half that amount. His value is €25m (£22m), according to Transfermarkt.
What does benefit the club in this instance is that Maguire is still a regular for England under Gareth Southgate – who has always remained faithful to the former Hull City defender despite his lack of minutes at club level.
A summer departure does seem pretty likely and a return to Leicester could be an option.
This is according to The Sun, who state that Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers is hoping to ‘shore up his shambolic defence’ with the loan signing of Maguire.
A loan move is ‘on the cards’ as Leicester look to bring the England defender ‘home’ after four years at Old Trafford.
An ‘eye-catching’ move to the King Power – where Maguire was a ‘hero’ – ‘can sort out their defence’.
Rodgers reportedly believes this transfer would be ‘huge’, though he is also keeping an eye on Bayer Leverkusen defender Odilon Kossounou.
Maguire recently defended his form this term, saying that he feels he has performed well when Ten Hag has given him the opportunity to play.
“Obviously this season, I haven’t played as much as I’d like but, for my club, I feel like my form’s been good this year,” he said.
“I know people obviously look at me not playing but when I’ve played I think in my last eight or nine starts for Manchester United we have won.
“I can’t remember losing a game for Manchester United, it must be the third week of the season. So my influence is still there.”
READ MORE: Kane over Ferguson: Man Utd fans want RVP guarantee over Rooney-ish potential