Tottenham Hotspur finished 16th in the Premier League for goals conceded last season (63), so Ange Postecoglou has a task on his hands to shore things up at the back.
The Lilywhites have been linked with Victor Nelsson, Levi Colwill, Micky van de Ven, Gleison Bremer and Clement Lenglet this summer, but Dean Jones wrote for Give Me Sport that Harry Maguire is also a transfer target.
The 30-year-old joined Manchester United from Leicester City in 2019 and has gone on to make 175 appearances in all competitions, scoring seven goals with five assists. Maguire has an uncertain future at Old Trafford, however, after falling down the pecking order under Erik ten Hag.
The England international made 31 appearances across the board in 2022/23 but started only 16 times. Maguire found himself behind Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane at centre-back, so he’s likely to be out in the cold next season too.
United paid £80m for Maguire four years ago but will need to accept a much lower fee if they want to cash-in this summer. Dean Jones told GiveMeSport that Man Utd have told intermediaries the price is £50m but privately there have been suggestions they’d accept a cut-price £35m deal to get Maguire off the books.
Expensive
The 30-year-old takes home £200k-per-week in wages, however, so Tottenham might be put off from making a formal move unless he accepts a wage cut. Jones says West Ham and clubs are Italy are showing an interest, but the money it would cost to get a deal over the line doesn’t seem worth it.
Tottenham paying £35m-£50m for a 30-year-old centre-back that would be their highest-earner in the first-team doesn’t seem likely. United would have to lower their asking price and Maguire would have to lower his demands, as Spurs won’t break their structure for an out-of-form player in the eve of his career.
Tottenham aren’t short of defenders with Davinson Sánchez, Japhet Tanganga, Cristian Romero, Joe Rodon and Eric Dier, but Sanchez might be expendable after a poor campaign on a personal note, Tanganga could be moved on after hardly playing last season, and Rodon has an uncertain future after being loaned out in 2022/23.
