Everton are interested in signing Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire this summer, with Toffees Director of Football Kevin Thelwell looking at landing him on loan.
What's the latest on Harry Maguire to Everton?
That's according to Football Insider, who claim that Sean Dyche's side have now discussed the possibility of signing Maguire on a temporary basis, though they will face competition from Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.
The latter, West Ham, have already seen a £20m bid rejected by the Red Devils, who state that the England international would command a £40m fee.
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Yerry Mina and Conor Coady have both departed Merseyside this summer, leaving Dyche requiring a fresh face to ensure the backline is ready for the forthcoming Premier League campaign.
Should Everton sign Harry Maguire?
If Maguire does decide to remain at Old Trafford, he will be resigned to playing second fiddle to the likes of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane, who have both cemented regular starting berths under Erik ten Hag.
Such a role is a far cry from the expectations following the £190k-per-week ace's move from Leicester City to Manchester in 2019 for a world record fee (for a defender) of £80m.
And while he has chalked up 175 appearances and aided his outfit in winning the 2022/23 Carabao Cup – ending a six-year trophy drought – he has left some seething about his error-strewn displays – even being branded a "walking disaster" by journalist Samuel Luckhurst.
He remains a solid defender, however, and a breath of fresh air on Merseyside could be the perfect way for him to pump life back into his career, especially considering the European Championship commences next summer.
The 57-cap England star would certainly be an exceptional signing for Everton, with WhoScored underscoring his strength in the air and aptitude as a sweeping presence, recording 3.3 aerial wins and 3.9 clearances per game across the duration of his career.
Given that Everton might have to settle for a loan deal if they are to welcome the "dominant" 6 foot 4 machine – as he has been called by Ten Hag – it could replicate the Toffees' past success in securing Kurt Zouma from Chelsea on a short-term deal.
Everton signed the Frenchman on a loan deal in 2018 and the 28-year-old would play 32 times in the English top-flight, recording an average Sofascore rating of 6.91, keeping ten clean sheets, making 3.8 clearances per game and winning 65% of his aerial battles.
Maguire, comparatively, excels in similar areas, and given that the Englishman also ranks among the top 17% of centre-halfs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted, the top 19% for progressive carries and the top 11% for blocks per 90, as per FBref, he boasts the kind of tenacious, all-encompassing defensive skill set to leave Dyche etching his name perpetually onto the starting team sheet.
Everton's eighth-placed finish in 18/19 has not been bettered since, the Toffees indeed slipping further and further into the murkiness of the bottom of the Premier League table, and with a defensive force like Maguire deployed in front of Jordan Pickford's goal, Dyche could be making the right moves toward leading the Goodison Park side back to prominence.
