Leicester City's Harry Maguire

Man City tipped to complete £80m Maguire deal this week

Manchester City are reportedly set to complete the £80m signing of Leicester defender Harry Maguire this week.

The England international has been subject of interest from both Manchester clubs, with the duo battling to sign the 26-year-old as they look to strengthen their defensive options this summer.

According to the Mirror, City have won the race for the centre-back who could complete a move to the Etihad in the coming days.

The £80m deal would represent a world-record transfer fee for a defender, eclipsing the £75m which took Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool in 2018.

Maguire only signed a new five-year deal at Leicester last summer following interest from Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United, and while Brendan Rodgers’ side had been reluctant to lose the former Hull City player, the Foxes will not prevent Maguire from leaving if their asking price is met.

Man City are looking to strengthen their options at centre-back this summer following the departure of Vincent Kompany, with the club captain leaving the club after 11 years to join Anderlecht as player-manager.

However, the report does somewhat conflict with what the London Evening Standard said yesterday, with City supposedly unwilling to go anywhere near Leicester’s £80m asking price, with rivals United said to be ‘confident’ of winning the race to sign the England defender.

Both United and City have also been linked with Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, who has recently admitted that he is unsure if he will still be at the Serie A outfit beyond the summer.

See also – Manchester United fans urge club to bring back Roy Keane

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