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Manchester United are close to announcing the transfer of Rasmus Hojlund who is having a medical at Carrington. Now the focus will shift to outgoings.
United have exhausted their summer transfer kitty after agreeing the deal with Atalanta for the Dane but manager Erik ten Hag is still eager to improve the squad depth.
In order for more signings to happen, the club will need to offload first-team stars with a lot of recent reports linking Fred and Donny van de Beek with imminent exits.
One player whose future has been uncertain ever since the Dutch manager took over is Harry Maguire. The English centre-back dropped to fifth in the pecking order, behind even full-back Luke Shaw.
Maguire needs to leave United for his own sake
From a guaranteed starter under former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to starting only eight times in the Premier League last season, the England international’s stock has fallen rapidly under the Dutchman.
He lost his preferred left centre-back role and national team manager Gareth Southgate has also warned him of the repercussions should his club minutes not improve.
To add insult to injury, the 30-year-old was also stripped of the club captaincy. While Ten Hag has publicly reiterated his desire to keep the England international, there is a growing possibility that he departs before the transfer window closes.
West Ham recently saw £20million bid get rejected with the former Leicester City man looking to move to a bigger club. Even Everton have been linked with a move.
Now as per Fichajes, Juventus are said to be eyeing a possible deal for Maguire. Max Allegri wants defensive stability following Giorgio Chiellini’s departure while Leonardo Bonucci is also being linked with a move away.
The United centre-back has emerged as a surprise target. While no amount has been mentioned in the report, they believe they will be getting a defensive leader to help them bring back European football to Turin.
“After a year in which they were kicked out of European competitions, Juventus is looking for new signings for 2023/2024, seeking to reinforce its defensive plot with a totally unexpected player — Manchester United’s English center-back Harry Maguire.
“The British player cost 85 million euros in his day, but his performances have never lived up to that price. Manchester United are therefore seeking to release Harry Maguire
Juventus want Maguire
“The departure of key players such as Chiellini have meant Juventus have lost a defensive leader. Which is why they have thought of Harry Maguire.”
It will be interesting to see whether Juventus can afford the player’s wages which have proved a major obstacle for quite a few sides while United want a big fee to part ways with the defender.
Quite a few United players have left for Italy and have seen experienced something of a career renaissance including Chris Smalling, Ashley Young and Romelu Lukaku.
While Maguire has maintained that he wants to fight for his place, a move away from Old Trafford seems to be the best solution for both parties currently.
