According to The Pitch Prospect, Manchester United have started informal talks with Harry Maguire about a one-year extension.
Talks have not yet reached a formal stage but Maguire would prefer clarity before the January window opens when he will be eligible to sign a pre-agreement with a foreign club.
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Man United values Maguire both on and off the field. Although former coach Erik ten Hag stripped him of the captaincy, the English defender remains part of the players’ management team.
He underlined his importance with a late winner against Liverpool on Sunday, giving the Red Devils their first win at Anfield since January 2016.
Maguire is understood to be open to an extension, but any new contract is expected to be short-term in nature and require a pay cut for the 32-year-old.
The 32-year-old is currently one of the top five earners at Old Trafford with a weekly wage of around £190,000.
Read more about Harry Maguire
The Pitch Prospect understands Maguire wants clarity sooner rather than later so he can concentrate on his football as he tries to get into Thomas Tuchel’s England squad in what will almost certainly be his last World Cup.
Sources at United stress that no decision has yet been made on Maguire’s extension, but it is likely that a formal offer has been made.
United’s view is that offering Maguire a new contract, assuming reduced financial terms can be agreed, will allow the club to either retain a key player and leader or simply protect his value ahead of the summer.
In the latter scenario, a sale would still be considered if Maguire decided it was best for his career to quit.
Harry Maguire’s next club
Maguire currently has no concrete options outside of Old Trafford. He has been on Saudi Arabia’s radar since 2023, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr first expressing interest.
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MLS club New York Red Bulls have also held exploratory talks with Magure’s camp.
It is not believed that Maguire will currently be sold outside of England or Europe, but it is believed that there will be clubs in the five major leagues interested in signing him, including from the Premier League.
West Ham had a real interest in the summer of 2023, even agreed a £30m deal with United before talks collapsed.
Maguire and United may not be close to agreeing an extension just yet, but there is a willingness on both sides to take talks further and there could be clarity before the end of the year.
Maguire wants a new contract with Man United
The Pitch Prospect’s chief football correspondent Alex Crook revealed in his transfer notebook this month that Maguire is eyeing new terms.
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By the end of the season, the England international will have played around 200 Premier League games for United.
However, he is no longer a guaranteed starter and Maguire even admitted that Sunday could have been his last appearance for the Liverpool club.
“I’ve been here for seven years now, so not getting this win was tough in those seven years,” he said in the mixed zone at Anfield.
“It’s bothering me a bit to be honest. I’m in my final year now so it could be the last time I play for this club at Anfield. So it’s really important that I came here and put that behind me because it’s been on my mind.”