Manchester United to target Moussa Dembele if Romelu Lukaku leaves, Solskjaer wants Harry Maguire deal completed immediately, and more Manchester United Transfer News: July 26, 2019
Hello and welcome to the Manchester United Transfer News round-up for 26th July 2019. We bring you the top transfer stories of the day involving Manchester United and here are our top picks for the day.
Also Read: Manchester United News and Rumours: July 23, 2019
#5 Solskjaer wants Harry Maguire deal completed immediately
We start today's segment with more updates in the Maguire saga. Manchester United had been firmly in the trails of Leicester City centerback Harry Maguire for the past couple of weeks. Despite United conceding just 1 goal in four pre-season games so far, a centerback remains a priority for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this summer. The Norwegian is desperate to avoid a repeat of last year's horror show at the back and has identified Maguire as the ideal candidate to mend his back line. However, Leicester City's valuation of the player has temporarily put a move on hold.
The Foxes are adamant that the player will only be allowed to leave if a world record fee for a defender, in the region of £80m, was placed. Manchester United had offered to pay £70m for the Englishman, but it was blatantly rejected. Since then though, the trail had gone cold and United had not returned with an improved bid. However, recent updates will most definitely excite United fans.
Solskjaer has reportedly asked Ed Woodward to secure the services of Harry Maguire as soon as possible. The Norwegian is not ready to wait any longer and risk missing the Englishman altogether, with the transfer deadline day a little over 10 days away now. The United executive vice-chairman had not traveled with the club in pre-season, apparently staying back to negotiate deals for shortlisted candidates. And now, he has been tasked with completing the Harry Maguire transfer at the earliest and perhaps a reason for that is the recent injury to Eric Bailly.
The Ivorian was perhaps the strongest contender to partner Victor Lindelof in the heart of the defense, in the event that the Maguire deal did not materialize. However, Bailly picked up an injury in his troublesome knee within 10 minutes of coming on against Tottenham. The situation was so severe that he had to be stretched off the field. And there's reason to believe that Bailly's injury was the last straw for Solskjaer. The Norwegian might not be prepared to start the new season without defensive reinforcement and as such, Woodward has been asked to accelerate the deal.
The big question is, are United ready to make Maguire the costliest defender in the world this summer?