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Manchester United are likely to sell club captain Harry Maguire this summer

Manchester United is interested in signing Sporting CP center defender Goncalo Inacio, who has the same agent as Bruno Fernandes.

Both players are represented by Miguel Pinho, who worked on Fernandes’ January 2020 transfer to Old Trafford and may now be able to broker another trade between the teams. Newcastle are expected to compete with the Red Devils for the player.

United’s interest comes as club captain Harry Maguire, 30, has had a rough season after losing his starting berth under Erik Ten Hag and is poised to depart Old Trafford at the conclusion of the season in search of regular action elsewhere.

Maguire has slid to the fifth-choice central defender at the club, with Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane preferred partners, while Victor Lindelof is also favored ahead of the England international, and Luke Shaw is also preferred in the center of defense.

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Maguire had previously stated that he wanted to stay with the club and was determined to reclaim his starting spot under Ten Hag. When asked if he had considered his future in March, the England international said, “No.” Every three days, there’s a game, and I’m training as hard as I can.

“I’m in a good mental and physical place, and I feel good.” The training sessions are extremely hard, particularly the day following a game.

“There will be lads unhappy because they’ve not played or sat on the bench. That’s part of football, but it adds more competition and high-quality training where the lads are covering similar distances to what they do in a game. That’s a credit to the players and the coaching staff here putting on those sessions.”

According to O Jogo, as cited by Sport Witness, Fernandes’ agent Pinho will be crucial in United’s search for another defender, with Maguire expected to leave in the summer window.

Inacio, 21, has made 115 first-team appearances for the Lisbon Giants and is well-liked within the club. Sporting has a long history of developing young players before selling them at high rates, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Nani to Manchester United in recent years.

United will prioritize signing a central striker and a goalkeeper this summer, but more defensive reinforcements are also expected. Ten Hag is interested in Bayer Leverkusen right-back Jeremie Frimpong.