Everton are now reportedly interested in signing Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire this summer.
The 30-year-old defender, who was recently called ‘dominant’ by United manager Erik ten Hag, is looking likely to leave Old Trafford this summer.
Indeed, the England international has been stripped of the Manchester United captaincy, a move likely to pre-empt a departure for Maguire.
That is according to TEAMtalk, who report that Maguire’s potential availability has attracted the attention of Everton manager Sean Dyche.
The Toffees will need to rebuild their backline this summer as Yerry Mina departed as a free agent and Conor Coady’s loan was not made permanent.
However, with West Ham United already having had a £20m bid turned down for Maguire, whether Everton could afford the former United captain remains to be seen.
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However, as per reports in the Daily Mail, Erik ten Hag is a fan of Everton’s 21-year-old centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite, so perhaps there is a deal to be done that would see a part exchange of personnel.
Harry Maguire could bring leadership to Everton
Maguire has fallen behind the likes of Rafael Varane and Lisandro Martinez in Manchester United’s defensive pecking order in recent seasons and could be a shrewd signing for the Toffees.
With the Blues’ transfer priority clearly being their forward line, the need for defensive reinforcements has somewhat gone under the radar, but a rebuild is needed.
Maguire would indeed add some leadership and experience in Everton’s defence as the club look to avoid a third straight relegation fight.
Indeed, Maguire could form a string partnership with the experienced James Tarkowski, who was one of Everton’s standout performers at Goodison Park last season.
Whether the Blues can get a deal done for the 30-year-old remains to be seen, but he could be a very good addition to Sean Dyche’s squad.