‘Foxes’ vow to keep Maguire under lock and key
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 August 9 and ‘The Foxes” are trying to resist United’s attempts to lure Maguire away, just a year after he signed from Hull City for £17.5-million (R305-million).
Instead of risking him leaving for Manchester, Leicester are trying to persuade Maguire to sign a new contract with them on vastly improved terms, believed to be in the region of £80 000 (R1.3-million) 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 25year-old, who was one of England’s best players as they reached the semifinals of the World Cup, but this is an uncomfortable time for the Midlands club.
United would be prepared to pay more than £50-million (R874-million) 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 the Red Devilsthis summer.. — The Daily Telegraph