Reports: Premier League defender rejects move to join Manchester City
What's the rumour?
Manchester City have received some bad news, as one of their transfer targets has declined the offer to join Pep Guardiola's side next season. As per the reports that were first broken by The Sun, Leicester City centre-back Harry Maguire has declined an opportunity to move to the Carabao Cup winners in the summer. The defender has a contract with Leicester until 2022 and is believed to be rated at £50 million.
In case you didn't know...
In spite of signing for Hull City in 2014, Maguire burst on the Premier League stage last season with Hull, especially after Marco Silva took charge of the club in January 2017. He was part of Hull's impressive run of form in the second half of the season even though his former club failed to beat the drop. He racked up 2 goals, 3 assists, 4 clean sheets and was solid when rotated between a back three and back four.
The heart of the matter
Following the Tigers' relegation to the Championship, Leicester City snapped up the English defender for an initial fee of £12 million in July 2017. He went straight into the starting lineup, being partnered up with club captain and veteran defender Wes Morgan.
Since his debut for his new club, Maguire has been a mainstay in the Foxes' squad. He has appeared in all the Premier League matches thus far this season. His impressive performances for the club have led him to receive a call-up to the national team.
This season, the Leicester centre-back has notched up 2 goals, 4 assists and 7 clean sheets. Defensively, he averages nearly 5 clearances and 1.5 interceptions per game. Offensively, he provides a goal threat on set pieces and has the ability to win headers with his height advantage. His game is inclined towards tackling and dribbling the ball and also favours playing long balls.
Rumour probability/rating: 8/10
The English defender himself stated that he wants to commit his future to his current club. He intends to be a part of Leicester's rise and building process. The fact that he has immediately declined a move to Manchester City will come off as a major blow to Pep Guardiola. He would have been eyeing Maguire as a potential replacement for the injury-prone Vincent Kompany.
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Author's take
Harry Maguire is one of the brightest prospects in English football. He will be looking to continue is consistency with an eye on earning a place in Gareth Southgate's squad for the World Cup.
However, he has made a bold choice by deciding to stay with Leicester City for the foreseeable future. Declining a move to a team managed by Pep Guardiola is not easy for a young footballer but his decision is commendable and must be respected. Maguire is just 24 and the fact that he prefers to progress his career with Leicester instead of being tempted away by a move to a big club is praiseworthy.