Manchester United have rejected a shock offer from Barcelona for club captain Harry Maguire, which would have seen Maguire move to Spain as part of a swap deal involving Barca midfielder Frenkie de Jong. The two clubs are currently in negotiations as United look to bring Dutch international De Jong to Old Trafford.
According to The Sun, Barcelona wanted the England centre-back to boost their defensive options. But United immediately rejected the proposal and it appears that the two clubs have arrived at a deal worth £69 million for De Jong.
Maguire had a disappointing year with the English giants, his poor performances seeing him scapegoated as United finished with a record low points tally in the Premier League. But it seems like new boss Erik ten Hag views the 29-year-old as a key part of his side for the upcoming campaign and expects Maguire to battle through the noise.
With the departures of Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata, a midfielder was always going to be high on United’s wishlist. De Jong is United’s number 1 target for this window, with Ten Hag having previously worked with the player at Ajax. The 25-year-old Dutch international is expected to be the new fulcrum of United’s midfield.
The Red Devils are also hoping to land Christian Eriksen, although the Danish playmaker is yet to make a decision about leaving Brentford. United could really use the 30-year-old’s Premier League experience as they look to bridge the ever-widening gap between them and rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.
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