Harry Maguire's England form might not be enough to prolong his time at Manchester United, with the club reportedly looking at Napoli defender Kim Min-jae.
Maguire has been one of his country's more impressive performers at the World Cup, helping Gareth Southgate's team top their group to set up a last-16 clash with Senegal. It marks a significant turnaround for a man whose struggles at club level saw him lose his starting place under Erik ten Hag.
Ten Hag has already made his stance clear, bringing in Lisandro Martinez from Ajax over the summer and pairing him with Raphael Varane. If Kim also joins, it may well feel like another statement about Maguire's future.
United's reported interest in Kim comes amid an impressive season at club and international level for the 26-year-old. As well as helping Napoli race clear at the top of the Serie A table, he played his part as South Korea booked a World Cup last-16 meeting with Brazil.
The former Fenerbahce man has a €45million (£38m) release clause, according to reports in Italy. He only joined Napoli over the summer, arriving after Kalidou Koulibaly left for Chelsea, but has quickly established himself at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Napoli sit eight points clear in Serie A after 15 games and also topped their Champions League group ahead of Liverpool. Kim has played 20 games for Luciano Spalletti's team, scoring twice.
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Despite struggling for form and minutes at United, Maguire is keen to stay and fight for his place. He stepped in for Varane after the Frenchman picked up an injury in October and impressed in a league victory over West Ham before the World Cup break, but that was his first Premier League start since a 4-0 defeat at Brentford back in August.
“I'm in good form. In the last few games for Manchester United, I've played well in them and won both of my last two games. But I've just found myself out due to the centre-backs there playing well and they're excellent players," the ex-Leicester man said.
“First and foremost, I listen to the people who I should listen to - my family, my friends, the coaches, the managers I have and I listen to my team-mates as well. I know how valued I am in this team. I know what the staff think of me in this team and my role that I have in this team, so that breeds confidence and trust.
“There is a level of scrutiny that defenders get now, with analysis on each goal. There's always someone at fault and I think that's where the defenders are at the moment."
