MAN UTD WANT TO INCLUDE HARRY MAGUIRE AS PART OF OFFER TO CHELSEA FOR MASON MOUNT

Manchester United are considering the possibility of offering Harry Maguire to Chelsea as part of their package to land Mason Mount, according to reports.

The Red Devils are ramping up their interest in the midfielder and are understood to have already agreed personal terms, with Chelsea begrudgingly accepting they need to cash in on their academy graduate given that his contract expires next year.

But the Blues are demanding a fee in the region of £70million – even though Mount only has one year on his contract – and that has prompted United to get creative.

With the two clubs a long way apart in their valuations, The Sun are reporting that United could use surplus-to-requirements skipper Maguire as a makeweight.

The 30-year-old has fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford since Erik ten Hag took charge, making just eight starts in the Premier League.

United are so keen to cut their ties with the error-prone defender they are even willing to subsidise his wages at a cost of as much as £10m to get him off their books.

Maguire – who cost £80m when he joined from Leicester four years ago – is still valued at around £30m by United despite his lacklustre form.

That could mean United try to put forward a player-plus-cash deal for Mount worth around £40m up front in addition to the England international defender in part-exchange.

It remains to be seen if Chelsea would be interested in such a deal but the club are looking to bolster their defence – though they already have two left-sided centre-backs in the shape of Benoit Badiashile and Levi Colwill.

Interestingly, new boss Mauricio Pochettino is a fan of Maguire and actually tried to sign him when he was still playing for Hull City, though Spurs chairman Daniel Levy vetoed the deal and he joined Leicester instead.

Ten Hag recently said Maguire ‘has a decision to make’ about his future and the pair are expected to speak face-to-face once the FA Cup final is out of the way.

United could also potentially offer the centre-back to West Ham in a deal for Declan Rice, with the club keen to try and include fringe players as part of their deals for targets.

Scott McTominay has also been mooted as a potential makeweight in a move for Hammers captain Rice, while the likes of Brandon Williams, Anthony Elanga and Fulham target Fred are all up for sale.

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2023-06-01T23:32:35Z dg43tfdfdgfd