Chelsea consider shock move for disgruntled Manchester United star - Reports
Chelsea have reportedly turned their attention towards Manchester United defender Harry Maguire. The Englishman is no longer the Red Devils' captain and is now looking for an exit this summer.
According to The Sun, Maguire is not happy after being asked to step down from the captaincy post by manager Erik ten Hag. He is now actively looking for an exit, with Chelsea one of the clubs interested in signing him.
The 30-year-old, who still has two years left on his Manchester United contract, is also attracting interest from West Ham United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.
The Red Devils paid a world-record fee for a defender, £80 million, to sign Maguire from Leicester City in 2019. While he held his own in the first couple of seasons at the club, he has seen a decline over the last two years.
Under Ten Hag, he was relegated to the bench with Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez taking up the two starting spots. Victor Lindelof was also often preferred over Maguire by the Dutch tactician, signaling that the English defender was no longer in the manager's plans.
Overall, Maguire has made 175 appearances for Manchester United, also scoring seven and assisting five goals. Last season, he featured in 16 league matches, just eight of which were starts.
Therefore, it comes as no surprise that he is now being linked with an exit.
Harry Maguire steps down from captaincy after discussion with Erik ten Hag
Maguire announced that he was no longer the Manchester United captain through a post on Twitter on Sunday, July 16. He revealed that the decision was taken after a discussion with manager Erik ten Hag.
The England international tweeted:
“After discussions with the manager today he has informed me he is changing captain. He outlined his reasons to me and whilst I’m personally extremely disappointed, I will continue to give my all every time I wear the shirt. So I wanted to say a massive thank you to the Manchester United fans for all their brilliant support whilst I’ve been wearing the armband.
“Since the day I took on the role, three and half years ago, it’s been a huge privilege to lead Manchester United and one of the proudest moments of my career to date. It’s one of the greatest honors in club football. I’ve done everything I possibly could to help United be successful – on and off the field. I will always be grateful to Ole Gunnar Solskjær for first giving me the responsibility and I wish whoever now takes it on every success and they will have my full support.”
After discussions with the manager today he has informed me he is changing captain. He outlined his reasons to me and whilst I’m personally extremely disappointed, I will continue to give my all every time I wear the shirt.
So I wanted to say a massive thank you to the… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/TAOS0eisF1
Manchester United also released a club statement on the same, which read:
“Everyone at Manchester United thanks Harry for his contribution as captain over the past three-and-a-half years. The manager will announce the new captain in due course, after he has informed the players.”
Bruno Fernandes is believed to be the favorite to take over as captain from Maguire. The Portuguese captained the club when Maguire was not present on the pitch throughout the 2022/23 season.