Leicester determined to keep Maguire
England defender is top target for Mourinho United manager facing prospect of Martial exit
Leicester City are determined to fight off Manchester United’s interest in England defender Harry Maguire as Jose Mourinho elects not to deny Anthony Martial a move if he really is unhappy at Old Trafford.
United have made Maguire their first-choice transfer target as they look to strengthen their defence, but time is against them and Leicester do not want to lose another key player after selling Riyad Mahrez to Manchester City earlier this month.
The transfer window will close for English clubs on Aug 9 and Leicester are trying to resist United’s attempts to lure Maguire away, just a year after he signed from Hull City for £17.5million.
Instead of risking him leaving for Manchester, Leicester are trying to persuade Maguire to sign a new contract with them on vastly im- terms, believed to be in the region of £80,000 a week.
United are unlikely to be deterred, but the early end to the transfer window favours Leicester. As things stand, a formal bid has not been made for the 25-year-old, who was one of England’s best players as they reached the semi-finals of the World Cup, but this is an uncomfortable time for the Midlands club.
United would be prepared to pay more than £50million for Maguire and it could ultimately come down to whether the player starts to agitate to leave.
Maguire is currently on holiday and is not due to return to training until the first week in August. With that in mind, Leicester believe the odds on him staying are in their favour as they only have to resist United’s interest for another three weeks.
Mourinho is keen to add another centre-back to his squad in this window, but he could also be looking for another striker if Martial confirms he wants to leave this summer. United want Martial to stay and are ready to activate a clause in his contract that will extend it by 12 months, which would take it to the summer of 2020.
However, the United hierarchy – and in particular Mourinho – have been alarmed by briefings from the player’s representatives that he still wants to quit Old Trafford, after spending much of last season out of the starting XI.
At boardroom level there is a desire to resist any attempt by Martial to force a move to Tottenham Hotspur, but Mourinho does not want an unhappy player in his squad and will demand to know what the 22-year-old’s intentions are while the club are on tour in the United States. If Martial personally informs Mourinho that he wants to leave before the close of the transfer window next month, the Portuguese will not stand in his way.
However, that does not mean United are willing to let him sign for Spurs, even though he is a priority target for the London club. Spurs have been led to believe that Martial wants to join them.
Instead, United would prefer to sell him to a club in Europe – Bayern Munich have also been monitoring the situation – so that he does not strengthen a domestic rival. The ball is now in Martial’s court and he will have to make a decision on how serious he is about wanting to move on.
Even if the former Monaco player confirms he wants to quit the club, any suitors will have to make an attractive offer, with the bidding likely to start at £55million for a player who was once rated one of European football’s brightest prospects.
There is no doubt that Martial has lost his way at United and a move could reignite his career. When asked after United’s goalless draw with San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday whether he wanted to stay at the club, Martial merely smiled and walked away.
Meanwhile, Javier Ribalta, one of United’s senior scouts, has left the club just a year after joining from Juventus, to become sporting director at Zenit St Petersburg.