Manchester United are prepared to take their pursuit of Harry Maguire down to the wire.
While Kalidou Koulibaly remains a viable alternative for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Norwegian’s No1 target is Leicester centre-back Maguire.
United’s manager is desperate to see the deal done - and wanted Maguire to be part of his squad long before now in a bid to give him chance to bed into the club’s defence before the start of the season.
But despite Solskjaer’s eagerness to complete his business as quickly as possible, he is prepared to bide his time over Maguire.
United have been locked in talks with Leicester for weeks after refusing to meet the Foxes' £90million valuation of their prized asset.
It’s believed United’s highest offer remains £70m plus add-ons.
It looks increasingly likely they will have to break the world-record fee for a defender, set by Liverpool when signing Virgil van Dijk from Southampton for £75m.
Solskjaer drew up a shortlist of three centre-backs heading into the window, with Koulibaly and Matthijs de Ligt named as targets alongside Maguire.
United anticipate Koulibaly would cost even more than Maguire, while cheaper alternatives are also being considered from an extensive dossier compiled by the club’s scouting department.
Maguire has reportedly been left out of Leicester’s squad for their final pre-season game against Atalanta on Friday amid the uncertainty over his future.
The England international held talks with manager Brendan Rodgers on Thursday, when it is believed to have been agreed that he would sit out the game at the King Power Stadium.
