Maguire confident of completing United move before season starts

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Kolkata, July 27: One of England’s breakthrough stars in their FIFA 2018 World Cup campaign in Russia was defender Harry Maguire. The 25-year old played a key role in England’s run to the semifinals.

And the Leicester City centre-back’s performances have not gone unnoticed as Manchester United are preparing a huge swoop for the England international.

Maguire has reportedly been linked with a £50m transfer to Old Trafford. Jose Mourinho has problems with the defence and looks to strengthen his back-line for the forthcoming season.

Mourinho has lost confidence in Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones and is looking for better options at the back line. While Toby Alderweireld and Leonardo Bonucci are also on the radar, Maguire seems to be a more realistic target. Tottenham have put a £75m price tag for Alderweireld, while Bonucci will turn 34 this year. Considering all these factors, Maguire is the best choice.

United have signed three players so far this summer with Fred, Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant arriving, but Mourinho has confirmed he wants to sign two more.

However, the Maguire deal might not be that easy, considering how stiff Leicester are when it comes to transfer negotiations. The former Premier League champs resisted an approach for Riyad Mahrez from Manchester City in January and sold him for a club record fee previous month.

Maguire believes he will join United before the transfer window closes on August 9, although they will have to off-load a centre-back and Leicester are bound to put a huge price on the England defender. Mourinho still believes his rivals will have an advantage over United in terms of key players available for the start of the season and thinks his side could be vulnerable in their games against Leicester and Brighton.