Manchester United have been told that they must "honour" Harry Maguire's contract, with the England international determined to stay and fight for his place at Old Trafford.
Maguire, 30, is the subject of interest from Tottenham ahead of the summer transfer window, having found himself bottom of the centre-back pecking order under Erik ten Hag. The former Leicester defender, who United paid £80million for in the summer of 2019, is viewed as surplus to requirements by the Red Devils hierarchy, who want to raise funds this summer.
Still the club's captain, Maguire is reported to be intent on turning his United career around and ensure that he keeps his place in the England squad ahead of next summer's European Championships in Germany. But Richard Keys disagrees with those claims, insisting that the 30-year-old - who has a deal until 2025 - wants out.
"No he doesn't," Keys wrote on Twitter in response to a report which said that Maguire wants to stick around. "I'm sure he'd be happy to move on but not unless United pay him what he's due. He's got a contract so they'll have to honour it. Aren't clubs always asking that players do that? The boot is on the other foot here."
Last week, it was reported that the Red Devils would be willing to offer the ex-Leciester centre-back a £10m payoff in order to leave the club this summer. That comes amid interest from Tottenham, who recently appointed Ange Postecoglou as manager and want to reshape their defence.
Image:
Michael Regan/Getty Images)A move abroad has also been mooted, with Italian quartet Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Roma all tipped to sign Maguire on loan next season while paying a portion of his £200,000-a-week wages. Having been benched for last Saturday's FA Cup final in another sad indictment of his dwindling career, Ten Hag recently told Maguire he has "a decision to make" regarding his future.
"Let's say I'm happy he's here and when we needed him he did his job," the Dutchman explained to The Times. "But it's also a decision he has to make. No one would be happy with this situation - he is not as well. He trains always on the best levels, so with 100 per cent effort. So he handles that situation well and he's in that manner and in his captaincy he's important for the squad."
England manager Gareth Southgate recently confirmed that Maguire's place is in jeopardy, having spent much of the 2022-23 season on the bench. Having called him up for June's Euro 2024 qualifying double-header, Southgate confessed: "Inevitably it's not a situation that can continue for ever."
