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What is the story?
According to reports from ESPN, Manchester United need to pay £80 million to land Leicester City's in-form defender Harry Maguire. Although the amount seems to be huge, the Red Devils are still eager to sign the former Hull City defender at any cost this summer, especially because their primary defensive target Kalidou Koulibaly also seems to be a difficult bargain at this stage, with many clubs in hot pursuit.
In case you didn't know...
Last season, Manchester United had the worst defensive record among the top nine teams in the Premier League, having conceded 54 goals from 38 game-weeks. Focusing on this matter, United are going to add a few new names to their defence. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to bring in young and hungry English players to revamp their squad.
On the other hand, Manchester City have also been linked with the 26-year-old English defender for a while now. City are in the hunt for a new centre-back as their legendary defender Vincent Kompany is set to join Anderlecht this summer. A tug of war between the two Manchester sides is going on at the moment for the English backbone.
Maguire made 31 appearances for the Foxes last season in the Premier League. He is not only a good defender but also can be an actual threat from set-piece situations.
The heart of the matter
If the reports surrounding the clubs are to be believed, Manchester United are not too much worried by Maguire's asking price. United's former boss Jose Mourinho had targeted the defender last summer, though he failed to complete the deal. However, Ole Gunnar Solskjare and Ed Woodward are well prepared this time to fight against their noisy neighbours for the Maguire's services.
What is next?
Manchester United have already completed the signing of Daniel James from Swansea City. It definitely wouldn't be their last singing as Ole's side need a major overhaul this summer. United are like to make defensive reinforcements and also bring in a few attacking players.
