Man Utd given chance to sign ULTIMATE Harry Maguire upgrade

Stuart Telford

• 18 Aug 2023 21:10 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United could have the perfect opportunity to sign Marquinhos from Paris Saint-Germain, with the Brazilian a significant upgrade on Harry Maguire.

PSG captain Marquinhos has been on Man Utd's radar since at least the summer of 2017, when Jose Mourinho was still in charge at Old Trafford.

But PSG refused to budge, and two years later United made Maguire the most expensive centre-back in the game, paying Leicester City £80 million for the England man's services.

READ: EXCLUSIVE: Man Utd transfer plans in jeopardy as Maguire and Amrabat deals stall

Four years on and Maguire's United career looks to be drawing to a close, even if the Red Devils recently pulled the plug on a potential £30m move to West Ham.

Maguire started just eight games in the Premier League last season and was an unused substitute as United opened the current campaign with a 1-0 win over Wolves on Monday.

Enrique: like it or lump it

But unusually for Marquinhos, he found himself in a similar position last Saturday, just playing the final eight minutes of PSG's goalless draw with Lorient, despite being re-confirmed as club captain by his teammates.

READ: Neymar transfer best for everyone - PSG say goodbye to world-record signing

"I make my decisions based on what I observe in training," said unapologetic new head coach Luis Enrique. "Marqui had physical problems during the week. Danilo was complete and very good in duels.

"But it's something you're going to have to get used to this season: I'm going to change positions a lot, change starters. If you have to be a title contender, you need 20 players and not just 11."

With Danilo Pereira trusted in pre-season and Milan Skriniar and Lucas Hernandez signed from Inter Milan and Bayern Munich respectively, a bleak picture is beginning to be painted for Marquinhos at the Parc des Princes.

Neymar has already been sold to Al-Hilal while the club have made it clear to Marco Verratti that he can move on. A changing of the guard is afoot, and United could do much worse than revisit their interest in Marquinhos.