FOFANA’S REPLACEMENT: Chelsea make move to sign £200,000-a-week star defender as Fofana’s replacement
FOFANA’S REPLACEMENT: Chelsea make move to sign £200,000-a-week star defender as Fofana’s replacement
Chelsea have now made contact with intermediaries about a deal to sign Harry Maguire from Manchester United.
That is according to 90min.
The Blues are in the market for a new centre-back after Wesley Fofana ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament.
The injury looks set to rule Chelsea’s No.33 out for the entirety of the 2023/24 campaign – with Kalidou Koulibaly and Cesar Azpilicueta already gone, Mauricio Pochettino’s defensive options now look quite thin.
As a result, Chelsea have made a move for Maguire.
90min believe the England international has been told he can leave by Erik ten Hag, after the Dutchman stripped the Manchester United No.5 of the captain’s armband.
Chelsea’s scouting department are said to feel that Maguire represents one of the best options currently on the market.
The 30-year-old has been weighing up his options as he prepares to leave Old Trafford, with West Ham, Newcastle, Inter Milan and Juventus also interested.
90min add that Manchester United would prefer to sell Maguire on a permanent basis, although the Red Devils would be open to loaning the £80m man to Chelsea, as the Blues are one of few clubs who would cover his £200,000-a-week wages in full.
Chelsea should only sign Harry Maguire on loan
In our view, Maguire would be a wise signing given the circumstances, although only a loan deal would make sense for Chelsea.
The Blues need to be wary of blocking Fofana’s pathway back into the starting XI when he returns, while the primary options for Pochettino, who tends to use just two central defenders, should be Levi Colwill and Benoit Badiashile.
Maguire should only be viewed as a stopgap signing, especially at the age of 30.
If Chelsea end up committing to the Manchester United outcast, paying him £200,000-a-week and he goes on to struggle, or even warm the bench, he will simply be another piece of deadwood the Blues need to offload.