Manchester United transfer news: Harry Maguire set to complete £80m move on Monday

Harry Maguire looks set to end one of the summer’s longest-running transfer sagas on Monday by signing for Manchester United in a world record £80m move.

The England centre-half had long appeared destined to leave Leicester during the current window with United and champions Manchester City leading the chase for his services.

But Leicester’s insistence on holding out for the highest fee possible saw negotiations drag on longer than expected.

That had led to mounting frustration for Maguire who reportedly believed he had an agreement in place with Brendan Rodgers’ side that he could leave should they receive an “acceptable” bid.

Maguire is even believed to have vented that frustration to his employers last week, leading to this weekend’s events which appear to have finally ended the impasse.

Rising fee

United had failed with a £70m offer as recently as the start of the month prior to eventually striking a deal with their Premier League arrivals.

It is understood that the deal calls for a basic £60m from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s club, with a potential £20 million of add-ons taking Maguire past the £75 million Liverpool paid Southampton for Virgil van Dijk.

The signing is a major upturn in fortunes for United and Solskjaer who had toiled through a slow summer of transfer activity to date with centre-half very much a priority after last season’s defensive collapse.

With Aaron Wan-Bissaka having also been signed from Crystal Palace, United have instantly upgraded in that department with a month to go until the new season.

City’s caution

City’s failure in the chase for Maguire, meanwhile, once more underlines their relative “caution” in the transfer market and their refusal to set a new world record when it came to Maguire.

Leicester paid Sheffield United £17m for Maguire in 2017, meaning his sale represents an incredible piece of business for the former Premier League champions.

They are believed to have earmarked Brighton defender Lewis Dunk as Maguire’s replacement in a deal that could reach as high as £45m.

The move finally ends United’s 12-month efforts to sign Maguire who was wanted by Solskjaer’s predecessor Jose Mourinho last summer, only for executive vice chairman Ed Woodward to prove unable to force the deal over the line.

That failure proved damaging to Mourinho’s relationship with Woodward, effectively marking the beginning of the end of his reign as United manager.

Still, after his starring role for England in last summer’s World Cup, Maguire was always eager to move on and is expected to fulfil his wish today.