Manchester United could agree a swap deal during the upcoming transfer window that would see Harry Maguire leave the club, it has been reported.Maguire was close to leaving Old Trafford in the summer, but United could not agree a deal with West Ham.The Guardian reported that Maguire wanted a payoff in the region of £7 million, but the England defender appeared to rubbish those claims in an interview while on international duty.He said (quotes via Sky Sports): “The actual opportunity to go to West Ham wasn’t really agreed between both clubs and myself, so it wasn’t just my chance to say yes and I’m going.
“The actual opportunity wasn’t there because we didn’t get far enough down the line with it.”Maguire therefore remained at United, but has continued to struggle for playing time under Erik ten Hag this season.He did, however, start the 2-1 win over Brentford prior to the international break, and put in an accomplished display.
Maguire’s place in the team was partially forced upon Ten Hag, however, with Lisandro Martinez out of action after having suffered a recurrence of the metatarsal injury from last season.Now, according to talkSPORT, Italian giants AC Milan are interested in signing Maguire, and are readying a bid for the England centre-back in January.Milan have Maguire’s Three Lions team-mate Fikayo Tomori on their books – meaning United could propose a potential swap deal.However, the asking price for Tomori would be substantially higher than what United may be able to receive for Maguire, which would mean Ten Hag’s side would have to sell players.
With Financial Fair Play (FFP) still a concern at Old Trafford, those player sales would be the only way to make a move happen – but a swap deal could still be possible for both sides.
Leave a Reply