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Man Utd defender Harry Maguire will not be joining Aston Villa this month as reports about this potential transfer have been labelled ‘laughable’.
Maguire’s future at Man Utd remains in doubt as he has been left behind Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez in the pecking order this season.
The Englishman has also struggled with a hamstring injury this term but he was one of Gareth Southgate’s better players at the World Cup.
His form for The Three Lions in Qatar could have boosted the player’s confidence but recent reports have suggested that United are looking to sell him this year.
Maguire started for United as they beat AFC Bournemouth 3-0 at Old Trafford in the Premier League last week. But he returned to the bench over the weekend as Erik ten Hag’s side defeated Everton in the FA Cup.
Following this, it was claimed on Sunday that he was ‘on the verge’ of joining Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.
Reporter Anil Kandola came up with this claim (cited by Caught Offside) but he has since deleted his tweets about the transfer.
Fabrizio Romano is more reliable and he has confirmed that talks of Maguire joining Aston Vill have been ‘denied by all parties involved’.
‘Reports of Harry Maguire deal ‘done’ with Aston Villa are now denied by all parties involved,’ Romano wrote for Caught Offside.
‘No negotiations or talks ongoing. Maguire is expected to stay at Man United, the position is very clear, they have not agreed any deal with any club.
‘Let’s see if things change in the coming days, but the expectation is for him to stay, to carry on as club captain, and to be an important player for Erik ten Hag.’
A separate report from Manchester Evening News has stated that ‘sources close to Maguire and United say they have found the feverish speculation laughable’.
They add that Maguire was spotted in Birmingham over the weekend but this was simply because ‘Maguire is believed to have gone to The Belfry to play golf’.
The defender ‘expects’ to remain at United until the summer but he is more likely to move on later this year.
Aged 29, Maguire will want to play regularly at this stage of his career and he is unlikely to get consistent game time under Ten Hag unless they are impacted by injuries.
If he does leave, it is possible that he will join a club higher up the league than Aston Villa.
Dean Saunders recently suggested that he would be an ideal signing for Tottenham Hotspur.
“He’s better than what Spurs have got. If he was at Spurs he would be in the team tomorrow.”