Manchester United could now be forced into meeting Leicester’s £80m asking price for Harry Maguire following Eric Bailly’s knee injury.
Bailly was forced off just minutes after coming on in Manchester United‘s 2-1 pre-season victory over Tottenham in Shanghai, with the defender now a major doubt for the start of the new season.
The 25-year-old will now await the results of a scan as the club assess the damage caused, though Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed after the game that the injury ‘doesn’t look great’.
“It seems that he’s twisted his knee so we just have to do some scans and checks on him,” Solskjaer told MUTV.
“At first sight, it doesn’t look great but let’s see how it goes.”
United have already been strongly linked with signing England international Maguire throughout the summer, with Leicester having rejected two bids for the defender, but Bailly’s absence could only strengthen the Red Devils’ need for defensive reinforcements.
Leicester are under no pressure to sell and are believed to be demanding a world-record £80m fee for the 26-year-old, a figure United have been so far unwilling to meet.
However, the Mirror say that Bailly’s absence could force United’s hand in matching Leicester’s demands, a deal which would eclipse the £75m Liverpool paid for Virgil van Dijk in 2018, making Maguire the most expensive defender in football history.
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