Man United ‘could offer captain Harry Maguire to Chelsea as part of a player-plus-cash deal to bring Mason Mount to Old Trafford’ as clubs are still £30m apart in their valuations of the England midfielder
There are reports that Harry Maguire could act as a counterbalance to Mason Mount’s decision to join Manchester United from Chelsea.
The Man United captain has slipped down the pecking order in recent seasons and is now considered the fourth-choice center behind Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez.
As such, the Red Devils are set to pay the defender around £10million to leave the club this summer, as revealed by Mail Sport, with the underprivileged player still under contract for another two years.
Now reports from The Sun have suggested he could be part of a bigger money player deal to bring Mount to Old Trafford.
Mount is yet to agree a new contract at Chelsea, despite numerous offers from the Blues, and with his contract in 2024 he is expected to leave this summer.
Mason Mount is a priority target for Manchester United this summer to strengthen their midfield
Club captain Harry Maguire is set to leave Old Trafford with the club ready to pay out the remainder of his contract
Mauricio Pochettino is set to undertake a mass squad at Chelsea to remove some of the deadwood
The England midfielder has attracted huge interest from top clubs in the Premier League, with United and Liverpool seen as favorites to land his signature for the next term.
But the Red Devils appear to be the most ready to follow through on their interest, and they will now step up their pursuit of the player following Saturday’s FA Cup final clash with Manchester City.
In fact, manager Erik ten Hag has identified Mount as one of his priority transfer targets, and club chiefs are eager to get their deals done early in the window following the uncertainties of last term.
However, there remains the small issue of the fee required to bring Mount to United.
Chelsea remain firm on their assessment of the player, seeing him as worth around £85million, despite having just 12 months left on his contract in west London.
United, on the other hand, see his value as closer to £55m, leaving the two sides around £30m apart.
That’s where Maguire comes in, given the Red Devils are reportedly valuing him at around £30million – the required difference in valuations preventing a deal from progressing for Mount.
Whether or not the Blues are interested in bringing Maguire to Stamford Bridge is another matter.
Mount is seen as a priority summer target for Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag
Raphael Varane (right) and Lisandro Martinez (left) have established themselves as the first-choice centre-halves
They are currently set to suffer a mass elimination from their bloated squad, with centre-backs Trevoh Chalobah and Kalidou Koulibaly, as well as Cesar Azpilicueta believed to be among those set to leave.
However, Pochettino tried to sign Maguire before, when the player was still at Hull, only for Leicester to offer a more lucrative proposition than Daniel Levy’s Tottenham.
Perhaps crucially, an agreement on Mount’s personal terms is unlikely to be an issue with the England international known to be fully open to a move to Old Trafford.
Pochettino, however, hopes to keep the academy graduate, having been an admirer of his talents with both Tottenham and later Paris Saint-Germain, and wants him to sign a new contract.
