Premier League
MAN UTD MAKE MAGUIRE WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE DEFENDER
Manchester United signed Harry Maguire from Leicester on Monday for a reported £80 million fee that makes the England centre-back the world’s most expensive defender.
United have secured Maguire on a six-year contract with an option for a further 12-month extension.
The £75 million Liverpool paid for Virgil van Dijk in 2018 was the previous record fee for a defender.
However, Juventus’ capture of Van Dijk’s Netherlands teammate Matthijs de Ligt earlier this month (July) could rise to 85.5 million euros (£77 million) in add-ons.
It is also a record fee between Premier League clubs, surpassing Van Dijk’s move to Anfield from Southampton and Romelu Lukaku’s switch from Everton to Manchester United.
“I am delighted to have signed for this great club. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Leicester and would like to thank everyone at the club. However, when Manchester United come knocking on your door, it is an incredible opportunity,” Maguire told United’s website.
“From my conversations with the manager, I am excited about the vision and plans he has for the team. It’s clear to see that Ole is building a team to win trophies. I am now looking forward to meeting my new team-mates and getting the season started.”
Maguire, 26, could make his debut in his new club’s Premier League opener at home to Chelsea on Sunday and United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is confident he will live up to his hefty price tag.
“Harry is one of the best centre-backs in the game today and I am delighted we have secured his signature,” he said.
“He is a great reader of the game and has a strong presence on the pitch, with the ability to remain calm under pressure – coupled with his composure on the ball and a huge presence in both boxes – I can see he will fit well into this group both on and off the pitch.
“He has a great personality and is a fantastic addition to the club.”
Manchester City had been interested in Maguire, but Pepe Guardiola admitted on Sunday that the champions couldn’t afford his huge fee.
– Meteoric rise –
Maguire, 26, shot to prominence for his performances at last year’s World Cup as England reached the semi-finals for the first time since 1990.
United were interested in his signature last summer, but baulked at Leicester’s asking price.
A year on and with the heart of their defence brutally exposed in finishing sixth in the Premier League last season to miss out on Champions League qualification, the Red Devils finally paid the fee the Foxes’ demanded.
Solskjaer had made strengthening central defence a priority, with that need only becoming more acute when Eric Bailly suffered a knee injury during the pre-season tour of China which is expected to keep him out for at least four months.
Maguire’s arrival also continues the trend of United targeting young British talent rather than big-name foreign imports.
The English giants have already splashed nearly £70 million on promising youngsters Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Maguire started his career at Sheffield United before making the leap into the Premier League with Hull in 2014.
After impressing even as the Tigers were relegated two years ago, he joined Leicester in a £17 million deal.
His England debut followed in October 2017 and he emerged as one of the unlikely stars of the World Cup, where he featured in all of the Three Lions’ seven games and scored in the quarter-final victory over Sweden.
That signified a meteoric rise for Maguire who just two years previously had travelled as a fan to support England at Euro 2016.
Nicknamed “slab head” by former Leicester teammate Jamie Vardy for his physical prowess in the air, Maguire has also impressed with his ability to play out from the back.
However, City were less in need to break the bank for the 26-year-old after winning the first ever domestic treble of trophies in English football history.
By contrast, United need to shore up a defence that conceded 54 goals in the Premier League last season and are counting on Maguire’s presence to cut the massive gap to rivals City and European champions Liverpool.
-AFP
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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