Former Man United scout says clubs are 'queuing up' to sign £80m Old Trafford star
Mick Brown has provided an update on this Manchester United star’s current situation.
A number of transfer rumours have been doing the rounds ahead of the January transfer window and how Manchester United might approach it. With a new chapter now open under Rúben Amorim, the Red Devils have been in the headlines as the media dissects their potential business for 2025.
Over the summer, United signed Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee and Noussair Mazraoui to bolster their options after a disappointing 2023/24 season. They also signed off on the sales of Scott McTominay and Aaron Wan-Bissaka among others.
There have already been reports of Amorim wanting to tap into former club Sporting CP and bring some of his old players to Old Trafford. The future is also grey for several current players — Casemiro has once again been linked with an exit while Christian Eriksen is expected to leave the club as a free agent in the summer.
Another player approaching the end of his contract is Harry Maguire, who has also previously been linked with a permanent sale to a rival club. The Manchester Evening News has reported that United are yet to activate the automatic one-year extension in Maguire’s current terms, and they only have until the end of December to do so until he is free to enter pre-contract discussions.
Former United chief scout Mick Brown has weighed in on the situation with Maguire and provided insight into the interest being shown in the senior centre-back.
Speaking to Football Insider, Brown said: “There are Premier League clubs keeping a close eye on the situation. Any club who wants a solid and experienced leader and centre-back will be interested in Harry Maguire. He’s a huge threat from set-pieces, both defending and attacking them, and he’s good on the ball. He was England’s first choice centre-back for years so he’s got so much experience.
“I was constantly on about him when I was at West Ham, but they made an offer of £20 million for him and it was quickly rejected. They’re still looking at signing a new centre-back now, so I’d expect that interest is still there. If United decide to let him go at the end of the season, there are clubs queuing up for his signature, so he won’t be short of options.”
Maguire signed for United in 2019 for a then record fee of £80 million, eclipsing the previous figure set by Virgil van Dijk’s move to Liverpool from Southampton. His current Transfermarkt value has since plummeted to €18 million (£15m) but if the Red Devils do not sign off on a January sale or extend his contract, they will lose him for nothing in June.