Newcastle United have reportedly expressed an interest in signing Manchester United defender Harry Maguire in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The England international, 30, has been tipped to leave Old Trafford after an underwhelming season, where he made just 16 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils. It has been believed that the central defender would search for a new club this summer, especially after being warned by England manager Gareth Southgate about his national team prospects.
According to The Sun, Newcastle United want to sign Harry Maguire on loan for the next season but Manchester United will not allow it as they prefer a sale. There are reservations at Man United about allowing their skipper to leave on loan to Newcastle as it would be bolstering their rivals with no financial benefit; however, if the Magpies come in with a cash offer it would be an entirely different story.
Aston Villa and Tottenham are also keeping tabs on the 30-year-old’s situation at Old Trafford. Villa would have a better chance of a loan deal being accepted by Erik ten Hag’s club, the report adds.
Harry Maguire to Newcastle United—Should the Magpies plot a permanent move?
Harry Maguire has fallen down the pecking order and become the fifth-choice centre-back at Man United this past season under Erik ten Hag, despite remaining as the club captain. Ten Hag wants to sign Napoli defender Kim Min-jae this year, which would make it even more difficult for Maguire to play regularly for the Red Devils next season.
While the Englishman is still keen to stay at the club and fight for his spot, United are exploring all possibilities to offload him and trim the wage bill before the end of the summer transfer window. Clearly, Maguire needs a new environment where he will get regular opportunities to play and get back his confidence to boost his Euro 2024 prospects, and a move to Newcastle makes sense.
Eddie Howe has got the best out of many underperforming players at Newcastle in the last 12-15 months, and there is no reason why he couldn’t do something similar with Maguire, who needs a defined role and a manager to believe in him.
Maguire is only 30 and can still perform well in the top flight for the next three to four years, with Eddie Howe certainly likely to benefit from bringing in an experienced defender as he only has Fabian Schar, Sven Botman, Jamaal Lascelles and Dan Burn as centre-back options in his squad. But with Lascelles expected to leave the club amid interest from a newly promoted club and Burn exclusively used at left-back this past season, bringing in someone like Maguire would boost the Magpies’ centre-back unit.
However, Eddie Howe and Newcastle must show how serious they are about signing Maguire. That said, the Toon Army must cancel the idea of a loan move, and instead table an attractive offer to persuade United into selling the England international.