Man Utd eye up Nottingham Forest star for summer transfer as Red Devils search for Harry Maguire replacement

Back in October, Maguire scored the winner for United against Liverpool in one of the few standout wins of the Ruben Amorim era. The former Leicester City man has been at the Red Devils since 2018 but he does not know if this is his last season at the club.

At the time, he said, "I've been here seven years now, so it's been tough not getting that win. It's been on my mind a little bit, to be honest. I'm in my last year now, so this could be the last time I played at Anfield for this club, so it's really important that I've come here and ticked that one off."

This came a few months on from United triggering a one-year extension to keep Maguire at the club until 2026.

Last August, he said about his future: "Last year, the clause was in their hands, so there was no option for me there. There was no talking. It was just that they activated it, and it got extended. This year, obviously I'm up at the end of the year. I'm pretty sure the club have made it aware this summer that I can't leave the club on any terms with other clubs enquiring about my things and my position with my contract. I'm sure over the next few months they'll sit down and we'll have to have a conversation about where we want to go and if they want to extend, or obviously the transfer window will open again in January. Obviously, I have something in my mind about what I want to do and what I want to be. I don't want to put it out there to everybody, but it's an amazing club to play for and you'd be silly if you wanted to jump out of it as soon as you could."

According to the Daily Mail, Forest centre-back Murillo is one of the players being considered by United as they seek a new defender for next season. The Brazilian is reportedly open to leaving Forest next summer despite signing a deal until 2029 a year ago and his family being settled in Nottingham. The report adds that the Red Devils are preparing for the departure of Maguire but whether they can sign Murillo is another question as he will not be available on the cheap.

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During Erik ten Hag's United tenure, the Dutchman was prepared to let Maguire leave, with West Ham interested. Instead, he knuckled down and managed to fight his way back into the starting XI. Injuries have limited his game time in recent seasons but many fans have now warmed to the big defender. This term, he has played just 10 times, scoring two goals, and for the time being, a new contract offer does not seem to be forthcoming. Whether he stays at United - who have young central defenders in Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven, along with Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs De Ligt, next season is up in the air.

United are preparing for the beginning of Michael Carrick's interim boss tenure following Amorim's sacking earlier this month. The former United midfielder's first game in charge will be the Manchester derby on Saturday at Old Trafford, followed by a clash with league leaders Arsenal. Incidentally, Maguire will hope to feature for the Red Devils soon enough.