Man United ‘Delusional’ with £50m Maguire Asking Price | OneFootball

Manchester United’s Unrealistic Valuation of Harry Maguire

Manchester United’s £50mil Asking Price for Maguire

According to reports in the Manchester Evening News, Manchester United have set an asking price of £50 million for club captain Harry Maguire. This surely has to lead to questions as to whether United are operating with any sort of connection to reality.

They will make the case that Maguire is a first-choice starter for England and has two years left on his contract – with United holding an option to extend his deal for a further year, thus making it fair value. But that ignores many factors, and leads to even more questions.

Issues with Maguire’s Market Value

Firstly, Maguire is 30 years of age. That means clubs are not buying his best years.

Secondly, Maguire has not played consistently well for United for multiple years. Indeed, it would be fair to ask if Maguire has ever played consistently well for United after his £80mil move to the club from Leicester in 2019.

Last season Maguire was dropped after only two games, managed only 16 starts across all competitions, and made only 31 total appearances. United played 62 matches last season, meaning their club captain started only 26% of all games, and appeared in only 50%.

Photo: IMAGO

He did miss some time through injury, but Maguire very clearly slipped to fourth choice for United last season with Erik ten Hag clearly not having any real faith in the player. It didn’t help that when he played, Maguire’s performances were often calamitous and lead to compilation makers putting together things like this.

Maguire is a better defender than what we’ve seen from him over the last 12 months, but he needs to play in a specific type of set up that hides his weaknesses – pace and turning circle for starters, and plays to his strengths.

United’s Negotiating Position

United need to be realistic about their valuation. Teams are aware that they are desperate to sell. They don’t hold any real power in negotiations. Teams are fully aware of why United want rid of Maguire as well, they don’t view him as good enough to play for them moving forward and they don’t want to pay him huge wages.

The teams who could afford to pay £50 million for a central defender and pay huge wages, won’t want Maguire. If he’s not good enough for United, he won’t be good enough for them either.

Some of the teams who could afford the fee, wouldn’t be able to afford the wages, and also wouldn’t want him because he wouldn’t fit how the play.

Limitations for Interested Teams

The teams who would want him, and where he would fit in with what the manager wants to do, can’t afford to pay that price or anything close to it. Nor could they afford the wages.

United need to accept that the likely outcome with Maguire is that they get a fee of about £30mil from a club like Everton, who would pay the player around £150k per week. That would leave a £100k per week shortfall, which United would have to make up, meaning that they would be left with £20mil from the deal.