Man Utd will reportedly include Andreas Pereira in their offer to try and sign Harry Maguire from Leicester City this summer.
After shipping a staggering 54 goals in 38 Premier League games last season, giving them the worst defensive record of the top nine sides in the standings, it’s fair to say that United are in need of sorting out their defence ahead of next season.
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According to The Sun, they have set their sights on Maguire, but given his whopping £90m price-tag, it’s unsurprisingly going to be a difficult task agreeing on a deal.
In turn, it’s reported that Man Utd will try to find a solution to bring that fee down, and it could involve a swap deal which sees Pereira head in the opposite direction and join the Foxes at the King Power Stadium on loan.
Albeit still only 23 years of age, the midfielder has made just 35 appearances for the Red Devils since initially making a breakthrough in the senior side in the 2014/15 campaign.
While they are short in that department having already announced that Ander Herrera is set to leave this summer when his contract expires, coupled with the threat of Paul Pogba moving on as hinted at in his latest comments as per BBC Sport, the last thing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will need is to lose another midfielder.
However, adding defensive solidity has to be a priority for Man Utd this summer to shore up that porous backline, and with the suggestion that Pereira could merely leave on a loan deal, it’s arguably a sensible ploy to try and get Maguire as a long-term solution.
Nevertheless, it’s added that Man City are also keen on the England international, while West Ham’s Issa Diop has been identified as a Plan B for the Red Devils.
In turn, time will tell if any talks between United and Leicester help to reach a deal, or if Solskjaer is forced to look elsewhere due to that hefty valuation.
