HARRY MAGUIRE has told Leicester City he wants to leave after being linked with Manchester United and Manchester City.
But while fans may baulking at the massive asking price, the defender could be well worth the investment for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
In his last two seasons with with the Foxes, as well as his memorable campaign at the World Cup with England, Maguire has grown into one of the most reliable centre-backs in world football.
He's probably not worth the £85million Leicester want, but we all know that English players come at a premium – especially when everyone knows United are desperate for defensive upgrades.
United have already seen a £70m bid rejected and know that Maguire prefers a move to rivals City, where he will play in the Champions League and compete for the title.
They will have to move fast to bring him to Old Trafford.
Solskjaer is desperate to get United back to the Champions League and the only way he's going to make that happen is for the manager to get in players better than the ones currently at the club.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka was one of those and Maguire should be another.
Here are five reasons why Man Utd should break the bank to get the centre-back.
Rivals want him
Not only do Manchester United want the defender, but Man City and Arsenal are also interested.
Arsenal do not have the cash to compete with the two Manchester clubs, with the massive interest in the 26-year-old driving up his price.
It's an eye-watering amount of cash to spend on a player who has never played in the Champions League, but he has the quality.
United have also missed out on a number of players in recent years and have made a number of poor choices in the transfer market.
Beating their rivals to a top target will be a big psychological coup, a real statement of intent, even if that means over-spending.
Obviously a smaller fee would mean there would be more cash to go around on other positions of need, but improvement at centre-back has to be the club's top priority.
The current crop are not good enough
Victor Lindelof, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Eric Bailly.
Not exactly a group to inspire confidence, is it?
Each player has his strengths but also major weaknesses.
Lindelof reads the game well and is good in possession, but can be bullied by big and strong forwards.
Smalling, Jones and Bailly all have the physicality, athleticism and technical traits to be top class defenders.
But all three have the same fatal flaw on the mental side of the game.
Each player is prone to massive errors and lapses in concentration, while Bailly's rash play at times saw Solskjaer lose all patience with him.
The centre-back position is all about partnerships and complimentary skills.
Look at the great duos down the years – the likes of John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, Sol Campbell and Kolo Toure, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic et al – and you will find overlapping skills and also skills that cover the other players' flaws.
A partnership of Lindelof, a heady ball-playing defender with composure in possession, and Maguire would appear to be a perfect match.
Maguire, no slouch on the ball himself, would take the burly strikers Lindelof has struggled with and marshall the back line, while Lindelof could use his brain to make timely interceptions, cover in behind and bring the ball out.
Captain material
One constant complaint of United fans during their recent title-less run has been big-time players failing to live up to their billing.
The likes of Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez have all arrived at Old Trafford with huge wages and the social media followers and egos to match.
The only thing missing has been the consistent performances.
Although Maguire will be a big outlay, his mentality and profile is nothing like that of other global stars.
He is a hard working and down to earth defender from Yorkshire, a throwback who isn't afraid to get his kit dirty and put his head in where it hurts.
These may sound like terrible old cliches to describe a Sunday league player – but that's exactly what Maguire is like.
Maguire has taken the long way round to get to the very top of the English game, playing in League One and the Championship and joining Hull City for just £2.5m from Sheffield United.
He has a calm head on his shoulders, plays in a way that inspires others and you could easily see him leading a side out as captain at Old Trafford.
Solskjaer has made it clear he wants to build a team of low-ego players who will graft and give everything for 90 minutes every time they step onto the pitch.
Maguire is exactly that.
He's bloody good
Yes, the price-tag is steep and a bit of a bitter pill to swallow.
But this is the position a desperate United find themselves in – they need to improve and a centre-back is their top priority.
Fans would probably prefer a move for Tottenham centre-back Toby Alderweireld.
The Belgian has proved himself to be one of the Premier League's best defenders under Mauricio Pochettino and he would instantly improve the back four.
But there is one major hang up hanging over the 30-year-old – his age.
The board are no longer willing to splash out big money and big wages on players who will have no mid to long-term value.
Alderweireld may be one of the best centre-backs in the league today, but it's hard not to see his skills slipping in the next two to three years.
Maguire is four years younger than the Spurs man and is just entering his prime – United would expect to have at least five or six good years out of Maguire.
An £80million fee seems steep now, but should Maguire perform for the club for the next decade, it will seem like good value.
Maguire is massive, 6ft 4in and nearly 16 stone, reads the game very well and is very comfortable on the ball.
He rarely makes mistakes, is pretty quick and has the attributes of a leader.
He's also a huge threat in the opposition's box.
Maguire would be the best centre-back at United should he join.
There's a reason Pep Guardiola and Unai Emery are also interested.
His song is the best in football
This one doesn't need too much explanation.
Just sit back and imagine 75,000 fans belting this out at Old Trafford.
Everyone loves Harry Maguire's "massive head".
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