Manchester City news: Should the Cityzens go for Harry Maguire?

English news outlet Daily Mail has reported that Manchester City will have to break transfer records to sign one of their top targets. The Cityzens haven’t previously been linked with a move for Harry Maguire, but it looks like they’ve entered the race.

The 25-year-old defender is currently at Leicester City and Daily Mail has reported that the Foxes are asking for as much as £90million. While it’s a fee that is well within Manchester City’s reach, it would see Pep Guardiola break a few transfer records.

It would make Maguire the most expensive defender, break a British transfer record for a defender and of course, Manchester City’s own transfer record. At the moment, the Cityzens’ transfer record is the
£60million they paid Leicester City for Riyad Mahrez.

That being said, would spending all that money actually make a difference for Manchester City in the summer? The answer is a resounding yes, especially after their defensive frailties being heavily exposed this season.

Both John Stones and Aymeric Laporte have proved to be a rather solid partnership but they’ve also struggled at the same time.

The rather physical nature of the Premier League has affected Stones, with him missing 13 games in the league. However, despite all that, it makes no sense for Pep Guardiola and company to spend around big on someone who won’t be playing consistent football.

Not to mention, Maguire is far from the archetype Guardiola signing. The Englishman is an aggressive and a no-nonsense centre-back, which is why he was linked with a move to Manchester United last summer (Daily Mail).

Furthermore, Maguire isn’t all that reliable with the ball at his feet, which is something that Guardiola demands from his centre-backs. What the Cityzens need instead is a player who is willing to play rotation football.

That would allow Stones and Laporte to improve their partnership even further, while the Cityzens would also get a replacement for Nicolas Otamendi. The 30-year-old is looking for regular football and the Daily Mail has added that he might look for a move away in the summer.

That puts Manchester City in a small pickle but it’s no reason to shell out an obscene amount of money on a player who won’t be playing regular football.

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Conclusion

Harry Maguire is a good defender and someone who deserves a move to a top-six club in the near future.

But Manchester City should not be among his options, especially if he ever wants to play regular football. The same goes for the Cityzens, as spending big for a rotation star is not what they need next season.