Despite weekly criticism, Manchester United have rejected the opportunity to use Harry Maguire as part of their bid to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong.
As part of Erik ten Hag’s rebuild of the Red Devils, he is keen to reunite with several of his former players at Old Trafford. At Ajax, the manager gave De Jong the opportunity to develop himself as a first-team regular and the platform to showcase his ability, and Ten Hag has made him a top priority this summer.
Talks are believed to be progressing with Barca, who are reportedly keen to part ways with the Netherlands international in order to bolster their transfer budget. However, a deal is yet to be reached as United are yet to meet the La Liga side’s £69million price tag.
But Barca have offered United the opportunity to purchase De Jong for less than that, but only if they would allow defender Maguire to head to the Camp Nou as part of the deal, according to The Sun. And despite his shaky performances as club captain that have led to significant criticism, the Red Devils declined the proposition.
Ten Hag is eager to work with Maguire next season, and the player also wants to remain at the Theatre of Dreams and is desperate to prove himself after a difficult. Though it remains to be seen whether the former Leicester City defender will keep the captain’s armband in the upcoming campaign.
The faith in Maguire will certainly raise eyebrows amongst United supporters given how he struggled in the previous campaign, even alongside Raphael Varane – who was equally as underwhelming. But former Red Devils defender Wes Brown believes that the 29-year-old has been over-criticised.
He told the Irish Independent: “Some of the criticism thrown at Maguire was over the top, but this is how football works these days. People get on social media, they start wading into players and momentum builds behind that criticism and Harry has been a victim of that.
“He has been booed by England fans, written off by United supporters on Twitter and it all seems pretty harsh. I get it that fans are disappointed, we all were after what we saw last season. So it is inevitable that people will pick out certain players and blame them.”
United will be hoping that they can save money elsewhere if they are to secure the signatures of some of their other targets whilst not parting ways with those who Ten Hag wants to work with. The manager is keen to acquire the services of Christian Eriksen this summer to play alongside De Jong in the centre of the park, who is available on a free transfer.
The Denmark international is out of contract at Brentford this summer and his good form under Thomas Frank last season caught the eye of many. United reportedly have a good chance of landing the former Tottenham star, though the playmaker is considering extending his stay with Brentford having been given the opportunity to return to football by the club.
