Manchester United could offer Harry Maguire in a player-plus-cash deal to sign Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount this summer, according to The Sun.
The Red Devils have earmarked Mount as their priority midfield target and it was recently reported that personal terms have already been agreed.
However, United still need to finalise a transfer fee with the London outfit. The Blues value him at £70 million but the Red Devils are aiming to pay much less.
The Sun report that the club could include Maguire as part of the deal for the 24-year-old. The Red Devils have set an asking price of £30m for their captain.
United planning surprise swap deal for Mount
Maguire has been out-of-favour under manager Erik ten Hag for most of the campaign and he is expected to leave the club in the search for regular game time.
It was recently reported that the Red Devils could hand him a huge pay-off of around £10m as he may need to accept a 50 per cent pay-cut when he joins a new team.
In our opinion, United may want to avoid that situation. Chelsea are one of the clubs capable of matching his current £190,000-a-week salary but a swap deal looks unlikely.
The Blues have changed their focus to pursuing young emerging talents and may not fancy signing Maguire, who is already 30 and may show signs of regression soon.
The United faithful would welcome the swap deal with open arms but we would be surprised if the Blues accept Maguire as a makeweight for Mount’s move to Old Trafford.
Maguire could still fetch a good transfer fee this summer. He could end up at West Ham United.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
