Chelsea are reportedly set to enter the race to sign England international defender Harry Maguire after the 30-year-old was stripped of the captaincy at Manchester United.
According to The Sun, Chelsea are considering a move for Harry Maguire, with the defender now keen on leaving Manchester United this summer.
The England international is coming off a disappointing 2022/23 campaign with the Red Devils. He made only 16 starts in all competitions, out of which only eight arrived in the Premier League.
Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez were the preferred centre-back pairing for Ten Hag, while Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw were also picked ahead of Maguire.
With the manager favouring a right and left-footed centre-back combination, left-back Shaw made 11 starts in the role when Martinez missed a chunk of games through injury. Hence, it is clear that Maguire is the fifth-choice central defender in the squad.
Couple that with the fact that manager Gareth Southgate has warned him that he could lose his place in the Three Lions setup for the upcoming Euros with the increasing competition, as well as his lack of game time at club level, and one might think the former Leicester City defender will be desperate for a move away from the club to get his career back on track.
Despite falling out of favour under Ten Hag last term, Maguire was determined to battle it out for his place given that his current contract at Old Trafford does not expire until 2025. However, the United boss has now ruthlessly stripped Maguire of the United captaincy ahead of the new Premier League season, a decision that has not gone down well with the player.
The Sun reports that Maguire is “angry, shocked, and upset” following his meeting with Ten Hag on Sunday, in which he told the 30-year-old that he is no longer United skipper, so much so that the England defender is now ready to leave United this summer, and Chelsea are among the clubs interested alongside West Ham, Tottenham, and Newcastle United.
Without a doubt, bringing in midfielders following the exit of several players during the summer clearout is the Blues’ top priority, however, signing a defender is also on Mauricio Pochettino’s agenda this summer.
Chelsea have allowed Kalidou Koulibaly to leave for Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal and could target Maguire as another experienced option who could replace Thiago Silva’s leadership role after the Brazilian centre-back’s departure down the line to complement young defenders in the likes of Benoit Badiashile, Wesley Fofana, and Levi Colwill next season, with Trevoh Chalobah on the chopping block this summer as well.
That being said, it’s difficult to see Maguire getting much game time if Pochettino’s first-choice pairing is fit throughout the season. There is some wiggle room, though, given Fofana’s chronic knee issues.
Nevertheless, the above report claims that Maguire nets around £200,000 a week at United, who were earlier demanding £50 million to sell their prized defender, but his asking price could drop to £30 million as the Manchester giants look to get him off the books this summer. Whether Chelsea would want to take that much of a gamble on an underperforming player like Maguire to only serve as a backup remains to be seen.
