Man United prepare Harry Maguire-sized bid for Harry Maguire

Be honest, we saw this one coming, didn't we?

Jose Mourinho wanting defensive reinforcements + Harry Maguire being one of the stars of England's World Cup campaign = Most predictable transfer rumour of summer 2018. And sure enough, barely 24 hours after England lost their semi-final with Croatia, the Special One is being linked with a move for the Slab-headed One. Already reportedly monitoring Tottenham's Toby Alderweireld, Bayern Munich's Jerome Boateng and pretty much every central defender under the sun this summer, we're now informed by the Daily Mail that Manchester United are readying a bid for Maguire. If United are to get their man, it certainly won't be easy. Leicester's owners, the report tells us, intend to fight hard to keep him and will want a sizeable profit on the £17m they paid to Hull City a year ago if they do decide to let him head to Old Trafford. This, and the fact United need to get their skates on to beat the August 9 transfer deadline day, means they may have to shell out £50m to get the deal done. Steep. There's long been a sense that Mourinho has been unhappy with United's backline (and life in general, for that matter), and the report adds that Maguire's arrival could finally spell the end of the road for Chris Smalling or Phil Jones. For now though, we wait. Something tells us this won't be the first time we hear Maguire's name mentioned in the gossip columns.