Man Utd flop ‘approached by five Serie A giants’ in shock development, as career-saving move gains momentum

Manchester United centre-half Harry Maguire has been offered a lifeline by five Italian clubs who are willing to sign him this summer, according to an eye-opening report.

Maguire struggled during Erik ten Hag’s first season in charge of Man Utd, losing his starting spot to the likes of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez. Ten Hag also preferred to operate with Victor Lindelof and left-back Luke Shaw over Maguire at times.

The Englishman may have appeared in 31 games across all competitions, but a fair few of those were off the bench. And while he remained club captain, it was often Bruno Fernandes who wore the armband.

Ten Hag recently stripped Maguire of the captaincy and give it to Fernandes on a permanent basis. The manager cannot justify Maguire being the team’s leader when he is not a guaranteed starter.

That decision came amid reports linking Maguire with Premier League rivals Tottenham, Aston Villa and West Ham.

But Ten Hag has attempted to end such rumours by labelling the 30-year-old as a ‘very important’ player in the Man Utd squad.

READ MORE: Erik ten Hag makes major transfer admission after tearing into Man Utd players after Real Madrid loss

Now, though, Maguire is being linked with a surprise transfer to Serie A. According to Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, he has been ‘approached’ by five major teams in the country.

They are Juventus, Napoli, Roma, Milan and Inter. All of those clubs consider Maguire to be a ‘respectable’ defender, despite his recent struggles in a Man Utd shirt.

Harry Maguire could leave Man Utd on an initial loan

Previously, English sides have struggled to convince Man Utd to let Maguire leave due to them not offering enough money. After spending a huge £80million on the former Leicester City ace, Man Utd do not want to let him leave on the cheap.

But the report explains how his Serie A suitors could find a solution by submitting a loan offer with the option to buy in 2024. This would give one of them a year to come up with the necessary money to sign Maguire permanently.

One reason for this surprise interest may be the success of Chris Smalling in Italy. He swapped Man Utd for Roma on an initial loan in August 2019 and went on to sign for them permanently a year later. He has reignited his career in Italy and is now one of the most reliable defenders in the country.

Plus, the Italian FA have also just changed a rule surrounding English and Swiss players. Players from those two countries are now considered as equivalent to those from the EU, meaning Italian teams will not have to use up their two non-EU squad places on English stars.

Maguire leaving Man Utd would please pundit Clinton Morrison, who recently urged him to secure a transfer or see his England career get put at risk.

“Harry Maguire needs to leave Manchester United for his own sake. No one likes to leave a club like that as they’re one of the biggest in the world, but Maguire has to think of himself,” the former striker said.

“You’d walk up the motorway to sign for that club and they’re still huge given their fanbase. But the problem with Maguire is that his England career is on the line.

“He’ll always get picked by Gareth Southgate but he may not be a regular if he’s not playing club football. I don’t see him playing at United as he’s now their fourth-choice centre-back.

“I know you get injuries and Erik ten Hag has said he wants to keep Maguire, but it’s best for the player if he moves on and he still has a lot to offer to many other Premier League clubs.”

Meanwhile, David Ornstein has revealed Man Utd will have to fend off a bid from a European giant in order to sign a top striker target.