Expensive mistake! Manchester United set to pay Maguire Ksh1.7 billion to leave the club

Manchester United's defender Harry Maguire

FOOTBALL Expensive mistake! Manchester United set to pay Maguire Ksh1.7 billion to leave the club

Joel Omotto 16:15 - 01.06.2023

The Red Devils want to cut their losses on the out-of-favour defender who still has two years remaining on his contract following his world record move from Leicester in 2019

Manchester United are set to cut their losses on Harry Maguire following reports that the club has lined up a £10 million (Ksh1.7 billion) pay-off if he leaves Old Trafford this summer.

According to media reports in the UK, Saturday's FA Cup final is likely to be Maguire's last game as a United player with the 30-year-old captain set for a place on the bench against Manchester City at Wembley.

Maguire cost £80m (Ksh13.6 billion) from Leicester City in 2019 but is now valued at closer to £30m due to his age and the fact he is two-thirds of the way through a six-year contract.

The centre-back has another two years left on the £190,000 (Ksh32 million)-a-week deal, and it's anticipated that he would earn only half that amount at a new club - leaving United to foot a £10m wage bill to get him off their books.

Maguire has started just 16 out of United's 61 games in all competitions this season with manager Erik ten Hag preferring to play Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and left-back Luke Shaw ahead of him in central defence.

England manager Gareth Southgate warned last week that Maguire's lack of first-team football at United cannot “continue forever” if he wants to hold down an international place.

And Ten Hag spoke about the player's predicament on Monday, admitting “that no-one would be happy with this situation - he is not as well.”

The Dutch coach said it is up to the former Sheffield United and Hull City defender to decide his future and club sources echoed those comments on Wednesday night, according to the Dailymail. They insist the Yorkshireman is not being forced out of the door and could yet stay.

Maguire is one of a number of players facing an uncertain future at United after the Cup final with question marks hanging over Anthony Martial, Fred, Scott McTominay and Aaron Wan-Bissaka with the latter seeing fellow right-back Diogo Dalot handed a new five-year contract on Wednesday.

It's already clear that Phil Jones, Eric Bailly, Axel Tuanzebe, Alex Telles, Brandon Williams and Ethan Galbraith will go.

Dean Henderson has also been lined up for a permanent move to Nottingham Forest if David de Gea signs a new contract at United after the Spanish goalkeeper’s lucrative £375,000 (Ksh64 million)-a-week deal comes to the end this month.