Fabrizio Romano has finally given his understanding of the Harry Maguire to Chelsea potential transfer.
News broke relatively recently that the Blues could be interested in his signature, even though their priority is to bring in Wesley Fofana from Leicester City.
Romano has now cleared up any doubt in the saga, revealing that there are no negotiations ongoing between Manchester United and Chelsea and that the English international is expected to stay at Old Trafford. He also confirmed, though, that Maguire would have to fight for his place, and wouldn’t have an automatic starting position just by virtue of being the captain. After how Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez played against Liverpool last Monday, it seems a no-brainer for Erik ten Hag to make them his first choice central defensive pairing, at least for the time being.
Read More: Manchester United Target in Talks to Join Another Premier League Side – David Ornstein
Fabrizio Romano Speaks Out on Harry Maguire to Chelsea Rumours
No negotiations ongoing between Manchester United and Chelsea for Harry Maguire. He's expected to stay at Man United and fight for his place, no different plans on clubs side too. 🔴 #MUFC
Chelsea position, always the same: they want Wesley Fofana. #CFC pic.twitter.com/9B8Rj7rx0V
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 24, 2022
Why Harry Maguire Is Important for United and Why Losing Him Now Would Not Be Good
While many United fans are not particularly pleased with how Maguire is playing at the moment, it can be argued that he gets an unfair share of the criticism deserved by most of the side at Old Trafford for many of their recent performances.
Centre-backs like the Englishman do not so easily receive praise as flashy forwards, and it is difficult to appreciate a player who is in the team for his physical strength, aerial ability, and consistency in the backline, despite the fact that these are all absolutely vital assets.
Maguire has certainly made mistakes over the last year, there are no questions about that, but he is still a very good defender in his own right. During his second season at the Theatre of Dreams, when United finished runners-up in the Premier League and Europa League, the former Leicester man was crucial for their success, and his absence in their European final may well have been the reason they lost it.
🚨 Barcelona and Chelsea have both shown interest in signing Harry Maguire recently, but Manchester United don’t want to sell.
(Source: @ncustisTheSun) pic.twitter.com/i1rYNrc2zV
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) August 23, 2022
While Martinez and Varane now represent very high-quality competition for him, he is still an important player for the squad, and losing Harry Maguire to Chelsea now would not be ideal. A replacement would likely need to be signed, with Eric Bailly now set to join Marseille on a loan that could become permanent, and there would also need to be a new captain appointed. This could be messy considering that the season has already started, and the biggest presence in the dressing room, Cristiano Ronaldo, is looking for a way out of Ten Hag’s team.
