Manchester United have reportedly made it clear that Harry Maguire is not for sale amid surprise transfer interest from Chelsea.
Maguire has endured a torrid 12 months at Old Trafford and faced heavy scrutiny following a string of calamitous performances during United's disastrous Premier League campaign last term. The England centre-half has also struggled in the opening weeks of the new season - leading to speculation that he could even be dropped by new Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag ahead of Monday's crunch clash against Liverpool.
But Maguire's poor form does not appear to have deterred interest from Chelsea, who reportedly lodged an enquiry for the beleaguered United captain during talks over a potential swap deal involving Christian Pulisic.
Any potential deal now seems unlikely after a new report outlined that Pulisic has decided to stay and fight for his place at Stamford Bridge - but Sky Sports have revealed that United were never likely to entertain any proposal that would have seen Maguire move to their Premier League rivals.
According to a new report, United have not received any former offer for Maguire and, furthermore, the club's official stance is that the former Leicester City man is not for sale.
Maguire quickly became a key figure at Old Trafford after he joined the club in an £80million deal back in the summer of 2019, but the 29-year-old now faces a fight to keep hold of his first-team spot under Ten Hag after a complete collapse of form.
Join the debate! Do you think Man Utd should be looking to sell Maguire? Let us know here.
The Dutchman, who shelled out more than £55m to bring former Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez to the club earlier this summer, could opt to replace Maguire on Monday as he continues to search for his first Premier League victory since taking charge.
Maguire has started both of the club's Premier League outings so far this term, however, United have slumped to humiliating defeats against Brighton and Brentford in those games. And Maguire could now pay the price for his underwhelming performances - even though Ten Hag backed his captain to silence United's boo boys after he was jeered on United's pre-season tour of Australia and Thailand.
Speaking after Maguire had been booed in pre-season, Ten Hag said: "Maguire we heard [the boos] but you see, if you perform, it slows down. I think he, the team, impressed by the way we played. I don’t think it’s the [thing] to find out if I understand it.
"It’s about how we can change it. So it’s the team and Harry himself performing. That is what we’re working on; that is the only focus."
