Manchester United are reportedly not prepared to loan Harry Maguire to Newcastle this summer but are open to letting the centre-back join the Magpies on a permanent basis.
According to The Sun, Newcastle United are ready to offer Manchester United club captain Harry Maguire an Old Trafford exit route via a loan deal this summer, but his club are only interested in doing a permanent deal with the Magpies.
The 30-year-old’s future is currently well and truly up in the air, having found it difficult to secure regular action during the 2022–23 campaign. While he racked up 31 appearances across all competitions during the recent season, just eight of those were Premier League starts, with Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof, and Luke Shaw all ahead of him in the pecking order for the spots in the middle of Erik ten Hag’s back four.
Man Utd are also anticipated to move for another centre-back this summer, with Napoli’s Kim Min-jae being heavily tipped with a move, which would make it even more difficult for Maguire to secure regular action next term, and also jeopardise his chances of making the Three Lions squad for the upcoming European Championships.
A recent report suggested that Maguire, who still has two years left on his United contract, is still keen to stay at Old Trafford and battle for his spot, but the Red Devils are exploring all possible ways to offload him before the end of the transfer window.
While United are open to sanctioning Maguire’s sale, his high £200,000-a-week wages could force the club to consider loan deals. It is now reported that both Newcastle and Villa are interested in pursuing loan moves for the centre-back, but the latter could have the edge in the race.
The report adds that the Red Devils have informed Newcastle that they will only entertain a permanent Maguire move with them, while Villa could be handed different terms. Man United are happy to let him go on a short-term deal to Villa Park. That’s because United have no plans to bolster a Champions League rival without financial benefit.
Maguire’s performances for England show he just needs a new environment, a defined role, and someone to believe in him to get the best out of him. And while Eddie Howe could be just that coach, having worked wonders with previously underperforming Newcastle core players like Fabian Schar, Miguel Almiron, and Joelinton, this just seems like a non-starter on paper.
First and foremost, the Magpies have been stout market operators in the market and would not hesitate to pull out of any deals when they are being held for ransom. Just take the Jesse Lingard saga in January 2022. The situation was even worse that time around, with them flirting with the relegation zone, but they still stepped away from paying the massive loan fee quoted by Manchester United.
Secondly, with Schar, who was superb in their Champions League hunt last season, is well into his thirties, the Toon are in the market for a young, promising, and athletic defender unless they are keen on a viable stop-gap solution, which Maguire clearly is not given his extravagant wages.
