Five clubs that could end Harry Maguire's Man Utd nightmare

FT Desk

• 27 Apr 2022 11:01 BST
• 4 min read

Harry Maguire may be the Manchester United captain, but with the club planning a summer clear-out and the centre-back failing to live up to expectations, new boss Erik ten Hag might be prepared to cash in.

Maguire became the most expensive defender in history when he swapped Leicester City for the Red Devils for £80 million (€95m) in August 2019, but the club could be prepared to accept around half that if it meant starting with a clean slate in the backline.

Where could Maguire end up?

Chelsea

Chelsea currently have a transfer embargo due to owner Roman Abramovich's ties with Vladimir Putin against the backdrop of the Russo-Ukrainian War, but the club will expect to be on similar financial footing once new owners are installed, and they have a distinct need for a centre-back with Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen leaving on frees this summer - likely for Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.

Maguire also thrives in a back three, having helped England to the final of Euro 2020 playing on the left of one, and his distribution out from the back could complement Thiago Silva's tenacity at the heart of the Blues' defence. With Trevoh Chalobah blossoming on the other side, Chelsea would look well set.

Tottenham

Another of the perhaps narrow band of clubs who could both afford Maguire and have a need for him, Tottenham would be unlikely to baulk at a £40m (€48m) fee, and chairman Daniel Levy might loosen the purse strings further if somebody were to make a serious bid for Harry Kane - although that might depend on Manchester City missing out on Erling Haaland.

Antontio Conte is another coach with a preference for a back three, playing a back four just once - in a 2-0 loss to Chelsea - since succeeding Nuno Espirito Santo in the White Hart Lane dugout in November. Ben Davies has been his left centre-back of choice, but Maguire could provide a greater physical presence in both boxes.

Leicester

Leicester's modus operandi is normally to buy low and sell high. Think Riyad Mahrez (signed for £450k/€533k; sold to Man City for £60m) or N'Golo Kante (signed for £5.6 m/€8m; sold to Chelsea for £32m/€38m) - or indeed Maguire himself, who was bought for £12m/€14m two years before the big-money move to Man Utd.

Club and player could be tempted to reunite in this case. Maguire arguably played his best football at Leicester, first breaking into the England squad when at the club, and Leicester have since climbed to the 15th in the Deloitte Football Money League rankings. Getting Maguire back at half-price wouldn't harm that off-field trajectory, and could help their on-field one.

PSG

But what if Maguire wanted to try his hand away from England? Paris Saint-Germain could be an option. Clearly, the newly-crowned French champions would have the budget to make it happen, but would they want to?

Well, quite possibly. Whilst Marquinhos remains a world-class proposition at centre-back, Sergio Ramos has struggled to live up to that billing with injuries restricting him to just 10 games in all competitions - only six of them starts - since his summer arrival from Real Madrid. Should PSG cut their losses, there would be space for Maguire.

The Englishman remains a top centre-back, but the pace of the game in Ligue 1 might also suit him as he looks to recover his confidence.

Barcelona

Another favourite destination of recent English Premier League stars like Pierre-Emerick Aubaeyang and Ferran Torres, Barcelona have managed to find budget for those moves despite their well-documented financial dire straits.

Ronald Araujo is the undisputed number one centre-back at Barca and he and Maguire could be a good fit. It's an outside bet, but then who predicted Lionel Messi leaving?