Arsenal have reportedly made a late enquiry to try and sign Leicester City star Harry Maguire, who is also a target for Manchester United and Manchester City.
According to a report from The Sun, Arsenal have joined Manchester City and Manchester United in the race to sign Leicester City and England centre-half Harry Maguire. To that end, the Gunners have submitted a £50 million enquiry for the defender, which falls well below the Foxes’ valuation of their star player.
Maguire’s career has been on rapid ascendancy since the 2016-17 season, when he impressed in the second half of the campaign with Hull City, following which he was signed up by Leicester in a deal worth £17.5 million deal. The 26-year-old has grown from strength to strength during his two seasons with the Foxes, establishing himself as one of the best in the Premier League.
Maguire’s rise to prominence has seen him garner a lot of admirers, most notably Manchester United. The Red Devils’ problems at the back are well-documented and former manager Jose Mourinho tried to address it by signing Maguire last summer, but the move failed to see the light of the day.
Manchester United, however, have rekindled their interest in the Englishman once again after another season where their defence, barring Victor Lindelof, was in shambles. The 20-time English champions are keen on signing the Leicester City star and to that end, have submitted a £70 million to acquire his services, which was rejected by the Foxes.
Manchester City too are in the running to sign the England international as the Premier League champions are on the lookout for a long-term replacement for former captain Vincent Kompany. The Belgian departed from the Etihad this summer to return to former club RSC Anderlecht as a player-manager, leaving a void in Pep Guardiola’s defence.
Reports had claimed that Manchester City were closing in on Maguire’s signature, with The Sun adding that the Cityzens had tabled an offer worth £65 million plus £5 million in add-ons. However, their offer too was knocked back by Leicester.
Now, Arsenal seem to have entered the fray as well, submitting an enquiry to Leicester over the possibility of a transfer. The Gunners’ defensive issues were once again on display in Unai Emery’s debut season. And with the club looking to offload the error-prone Shkodran Mustafi, they are going to need defensive reinforcements.
The report claims that the North London giants are willing to offer £50 million to sign Maguire, which falls way below Leicester City’s valuation. The Foxes are demanding £85 million for the 26-year-old and having rejected much higher bids from both the Manchester clubs, they will have laughed off the Gunners’ offer, which is £35 million short of their demand.
Arsenal are operating on a tight budget this summer believed to be £45 million. With their pursuit of Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha likely to require a substantial investment, it seems highly improbable that they will be able to match Leicester’s valuation of Maguire and will have to look elsewhere for defensive reinforcements.
As far as Maguire is concerned, the defender looks destined for a move away from the King Power but it remains to be seen if he ends up in the red half or the blue half of Manchester.
