It seems that Harry Maguire’s days as a Manchester United player are numbered.
After losing the captaincy on a permanent basis to Bruno Fernandes as well as losing his starting spot to the likes of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, it’s tough to see Maguire being a priority player for Erik Ten Hag.
For a player who is a mainstay in the England national team, playing another season as a backup defender may impact his future international presence and surely a player like Maguire will believe he’s too good to spend large periods warming the bench.
That’s why there has been a lot of speculation around his future, with pundits and former players commenting that he should look away.
After being linked with the likes of Newcastle United, Aston Villa and West Ham United earlier in the window, it now seems that Maguire is gaining interest and attraction from some of the giants of Serie A.
That’s because Italian paper Corriere Dello Sport report that there are FIVE leading Italian clubs interested in bringing the centre back to Italy this summer.
In fact, the paper suggests that the clubs have already approached the player about a move.
The clubs in question are some of the biggest in Italy and are named as Juventus, Napoli, Roma, AC Milan and Inter Milan.
As you can see from the list, these clubs are the ones that are usually in the UEFA Champions League contenders spaces for Italy and the paper reinforces that all these clubs see Maguire as a respectable defender despite his recent club struggles in England.
Interest in Maguire has piqued in Italy due to a couple of reasons.
Firstly, the Italian FA have recently changed a rule surrounding players from England and Switzerland. Players from these two countries are now considered as equivalent to those from the EU, meaning Italian teams will not have to use up their two non-EU squad places on English stars – saving an Brexit related issues to English player imports.
Secondly, the success of former Manchester United defender Chris Smalling in Italy is another factor that’s been attributed to the interest in Maguire. The belief is that Smalling has proven that defenders surplus to requirements in England can still perform at a high level in Italy and that’s what the hope for Maguire would be.
In terms of a transfer structure Corriere Dello Sport report that the clubs will look for an initial loan deal with an option to buy. This will give the clubs a season to find the money to buy the player.
So it seems that Maguire may have a continental route out of the club this summer in the shape of Italy. Whether he will want to move to Serie A or continue to play in the English Premier League may prove pivotal in knowing the future club that he will playing at.
