Report: United reach £80M agreement to sign Maguire from Leicester
The Harry Maguire transfer saga appears to be over, as Manchester United have reached an agreement to sign the defender from Leicester City for £80 million, according to BBC Sport.
The reported fee is a world record for a defender, surpassing the £75 million Liverpool paid to sign Virgil van Dijk from Southampton in 2018.
It's understood United and Leicester came to an agreement Friday morning on a deal which includes add-on fees that could bring Leicester's total earnings from the sale to £85 million, according to Sam Wallace and John Percy of The Telegraph.
Maguire is expected to join his new club this weekend to undergo a medical before the lucrative transfer is made official.
The 26-year-old is coming off his second season at Leicester following his £12-million transfer, plus add-ons, from Hull City in 2017. He has made 69 Premier League appearances for the Foxes.
78% - Harry Maguire won 78% of his aerial duels in the 2018-19 Premier League season; a better success rate than any of the 205 other players to be involved in 50+ aerials in the competition, just ahead of Virgil van Dijk (75%). Slab. pic.twitter.com/SK0OVlUHU6
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 2, 2019
United attempted to sign Maguire last summer but backed away from negotiations when Leicester slapped a £70-million price tag on the England international. Maguire eventually signed a new five-year contract after the summer transfer window closed in 2018.
The Red Devils reportedly returned to the bargaining table this summer with a similar offer which ultimately fell short of Leicester's new valuation.
In the end, United got their man, as Maguire becomes the club's third signing of the summer following the arrivals of full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka and midfielder Daniel James from Crystal Palace and Swansea City, respectively.
United are also reportedly in talks to sign Paulo Dybala from Juventus in a deal that would result in wantaway forward Romelu Lukaku joining the Italian club. The Premier League giants have also been linked with midfielder Bruno Fernandes of Sporting CP.