Aston Villa’s reported interest in Man Utd defender Harry Maguire has been dismissed, with no talks said to be taking place over a move.
Speculation was rife this weekend after Maguire was spotted at a restaurant close to Villa’s training ground at the Belfry Hotel and Resort, as seen in this tweet.
READ MORE: What Emery said after Villa’s FA Cup defeat to Stevenage
Although the 29-year-old remains a fundamental figure for England, he has struggled to fully convince Erik ten Hag at Man Utd, and has been limited to just seven Premier League appearances so far this season, totalling 384 minutes of league football.
In turn, it’s perhaps understandable as to why the rumours surfaced and gathered pace, but it doesn’t appear as though any talks are ongoing between Villa and Man Utd over a deal.
As per his tweet below, Fabrizio Romano has stated as much, as he has reported that both clubs and the player’s camp have denied any talk of a done deal and have insisted that there are no negotiations taking place.
Further, it’s added that Maguire is expected to stay at Old Trafford, and so no move to Villa is expected to happen.
While reinforcements are certainly needed for Unai Emery, particularly in light of our FA Cup defeat to Stevenage on Sunday which exposed and emphasised certain concerns with the current squad, it was never felt as though Maguire was a necessary or priority purchase given our current defensive options.
Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa remain the first-choice pairing under Emery, while Diego Carlos will hopefully be nearing a comeback from his Achilles’ injury next month.
The problem for Villa is depth though, with the likes of Calum Chambers and Jan Bednarek not doing a particularly great job of proving their ability to come in and do a job against Stevenage.
In turn, a move for a centre-half might be on the cards for Villa this month, but as noted in the tweet below, it doesn’t appear as though Maguire is a genuine solution.
Reports of Harry Maguire deal ‘done’ with Aston Villa are now denied by all parties involved. No negotiations or talks ongoing. 🚨🔴 #MUFC
Maguire is expected to stay at Man United, the position is very clear. pic.twitter.com/R0eaRL3Lp3
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 8, 2023
