Manchester United are locked in talks over Harry Maguire – but insist they will not overpay for the Leicester defender.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has already seen a £70million bid for the England international rejected – but remains optimistic a breakthrough will be reached.
Club sources insisted on Sunday night that a fee was still to be agreed, despite claims an offer worth up to £80m had been accepted, with Maguire due to undergo a medical.
It’s understood the two sides remain some way apart in their valuations of the 26-year-old, who looks set to become the most expensive defender in history.
Man Utd are refusing to meet Leicester’s £90m asking price, with Ed Woodward trying to reach a compromise, which is likely to be heavily structured around performance-related add-ons.
Executive vice chairman Woodward has remained behind in the UK for the first leg of United’s tour to Australia and the Far East, where he has been working on deals for Maguire, Sean Longstaff and the potential sale of Romelu Lukaku.
It’s believed Maguire is eager to join United 12 months after Jose Mourinho failed to convince the club to come up with the funds to prise him away from Leicester.
United’s recruitment department feared his price had been inflated by a successful World Cup and refused to pay in excess of £60m to bring him to Old Trafford.
They know they will have to pay more than that now, with the former Sheffield United and Hull centre back expected to exceed the world record £75m Liverpool paid for Virgil van Dijk.
United hope Matthijs de Ligt’s valuation of around £71m will prove a gauge in on-going negotiations with Leicester.
The Ajax centre back is being courted by Juventus, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, but is not expected to surpass Van Dijk as the costliest defender in history.
United have made it clear they will not be forced into paying above the odds for their targets – immediately dismissing Newcastle’s demand of £50m for Longstaff.
And they are adamant Leicester's asking price will also have to come down if a deal is to be struck for Maguire.
