Serie A giants Napoli have reportedly expressed interest in signing Manchester United defender Harry Maguire. Maguire’s stint at United hasn’t been smooth sailing as the England international has had his ups and downs while donning the famous red jersey.
When Erik Ten Hag was in charge of United Maguire, he was stripped of his captaincy and fell down the pecking order as he failed to meet the Dutch manager’s expectations.
Currently under Amorim, the 31-year-old could have an opportunity to cement his place in the backline. The 3-4-3 formation they adopted against Manchester City suited him perfectly.
Embed from Getty ImagesHowever, it is interesting that he is not Amorim’s first-choice defender despite his impressive performance against Manchester City in the Premier League. The Portuguese manager prefers Leny Yoro, Lisandro Martinez and Matthias De Ligt over Harry Maguire, and Noussair Mazraoui can also be deputized as a right centre-back.
Maguire has held positive talks with the United board over his contract situation, but there is an accord that he will be leaving next summer for a new challenge.
Napoli coach Antonio Conte is familiar with Maguire’s qualities, given the time he has spent in the Premier League, and he is open to the idea of snapping him up on a free transfer (report via the Mirror).
The Serie A club have already snapped up Scott McTominay from United in the winter transfer window and since then he has impressed everyone in Naples with his performances, the Scottish international has racked up 3 goals and 3 assists in 14 Serie A appearances. Conte is looking to sign a potential defensive recruit, and Harry Maguire is one of the options.
Embed from Getty ImagesA transfer away from Old Trafford could be on Maguire’s cards; however, things could quickly change the transfer situation.
Amorim prefers the 3-4-3 formation in matches, and Maguire fitting perfectly into the system could cement his place permanently in the backline. Maguire has plentiful experience in a three-man England rearguard, and no matter how much he may have been struggling in a Manchester United shirt, he rarely let his country down under Gareth Southgate.
His performances in the next couple of matches could dictate his future and it is yet to be seen whether the Red Devils will trigger a contract extension for the defender, failing to do so could mean that the world’s most expensive defender could leave the club for free in the coming summer transfer window.
It will be interesting to see how this transfer situation shapes up as we move forward.
