Pep Guardiola has made Leicester City defender Harry Maguire his number one target to replace Vincent Kompany with City readying a bid, according to The Daily Mail.
Kompany will be joining Anderlecht as player-manager leaving City a defender down – they will be in the market for a new centre back and Maguire fits the bill.
Maguire’s performance at the Etihad earlier this month caught the eye of the City boss and Guardiola approached the 26-year-old to heap praise on his performance.
The England international only signed a new five-year deal back in September after he attracted interest from Manchester United, so he will not be cheap with Leicester desperate to keep him – the report claims that Man City might have to break world-record fee to land him.
Good move for Manchester City?
Maguire would be a solid addition for City, however, there are questions marks over whether he can adapt to Guardiola’s style of play. The likes of John Stones, Aymeric Laporte and Nicolas Otamendi are all terrific in possession and we are not sure whether Maguire fits into that mould. With that being said, Maguire could offer City something they haven’t got and his dominant aerial presence would be welcomed. Depending on price, City should pursue a deal but we believe he could be incredibly expensive.
This Is Futbol rating 6/10
Likely to happen?
We believe City will sign another central defender this summer but with Maguire recently signing a new contract and the Foxes being desperate to keep him, it may not be him who they sign. Guardiola is a fan of Maguire but the fee that Leicester may demand could be astronomically high and City may be reluctant to pay such a price with financial fair play considerations in play. He is reportedly City’s number one target to replace Kompany though and with that in mind they may insist on landing him regardless of the price. It would be difficult for him to turn down the chance to play for Manchester City and Maguire will have Champions League aspirations.
This Is Futbol rating 5/10