Manchester City closing in on English defensive rock: Perfect signing for Pep

Manchester City are likely to win the race to sign Leicester City defender Harry Maguire, who has been a long-standing target for their arch-rivals Manchester United.

According to a report from the Daily Star, the Sky Blues are on the cusp of signing the 26-year-old English centre-back for a transfer fee in the region of £65m.

Maguire is believed to have a medical at the Etihad Stadium pencilled in and the official deal could be announced in the coming week, the report adds.

The right-footed centre-back has been a regular at the King Power Stadium ever since he signed from Hull City back in 2017 and managed 32 appearances for the Foxes across all competitions in the recently concluded campaign.

Who will he replace in the lineup?

City are coming on the back of an excellent domestic season where they retained the Premier League title and swept the domestic silverware quota becoming the first team to win a domestic quadruple in England.

However, with any great team changes must be made to keep them competent on the pitch and preserve the freshness in the dressing room at the same time.

With Vincent Kompany announcing his retirement at the end of last campaign and uncertainty over Nicolas Otamendi’s future, reinforcements in the defensive backline at the Etihad seem significant as part of the City’s preparations for the upcoming season.

Seeing Pep Guardiola’s centre-back options for next season, Maguire sounds like just the guy to further solidify and provide competition to the likes of John Stones and Aymeric Laporte in the City back four.

The 26-year-old is a technically solid and astute centre-back who is comfortable with the ball at his feet, something which is a must for a player to feature in a Pep Guardiola team.

He also boasts the ability to carry the ball forward across the midfield confidently and resembles the Belgian Kompany in his style of play while defending.

The Englishman stands at 6ft 4in tall and possesses supreme aerial ability which seems lacking in City’s overall gameplay and is a weakness targeted by opposition teams time and time again.

The Red Devils ran riot in their 3-2 derby win at Etihad in 2018 scoring two of their three goals from headers and similar was the story with Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League this season where Llorente knocked out the Premier League Champions converting from a set-piece which should have been easily dealt with.

Maguire’s addition can look to address these little nuances in this close to perfect City side and can be the backbone of the Sky Blues defence for years to come, seeing he is only 26 and approaching the peak of his career.

With the departure of Kompany, City are likely to miss their captain and leader in the dressing room and on the pitch.

Maguire seems like a perfect replacement for the Belgian and has shown his leadership skills time and time again both with the Foxes and the England national team where he played a vital role in his side’s run to the semifinals of the World Cup.

Stat Courtesy: Transfermarkt