Maguire may no longer be Man Utd’s fifth choice if PSG complete January transfer

Robin Bairner

• 28 Jan 2023 17:00 CST
• 5 min read

Manchester United will be keeping a close eye on developments at Paris Saint-Germain before the end of the January transfer window because events at the Ligue 1 side could have a knock-on effect at Old Trafford.

PSG are presently locked in talks with Inter to secure the services of centre-back Milan Skriniar immediately.

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Sky Italia reports that the French champions have already locked down the Slovakia international to a pre-contract agreement that will see him join the club in the summer – beating off competition from a mystery Premier League club that was reportedly Man Utd – in order to do so. However, they are fighting to get the deal done now.

Should PSG succeed in luring Skriniar to the French capital, it would mean Inter would have a gap to plug at the heart of their defence – and that is where Man Utd come in.

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Inter ready to target Lindelof

The Italian side are ready to move for Man Utd’s Victor Lindelof if Skriniar signs for Man Utd this month, according to the reports in Italy.

Inter would seek to secure a loan deal for the 28-year-old, who has featured only six times in the Premier League this season, including only once since the World Cup break.

Lindelof has fallen down the pecking order, too. Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez are well established as the first picks at Old Trafford, but Luke Shaw appears to have jumped ahead of him, too.

But while Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag is thought to be against the idea of loaning him out, as Inter wish, the Dutchman still has a degree of depth to call upon in the heart of the defence, with Harry Maguire currently seen as the club’s fifth choice in that role.

Skriniar to PSG is unlikely to save Maguire in the long-term at Man Utd, though, with it FootballTransfers’ understanding that Ten Hag will look to move the centre-back on in the summer.