Leicester City are plotting a £35million bid for Newcastle United captain Jamaal Lascelles with Manchester United in pursuit of Harry Maguire, according to The Sun.
The national newspaper claim that the Foxes are closing in on the £40,000-a-week Magpies defender (Source: Spotrac) and that this could open the door for Man United to a launch £60million swoop for Maguire.
The Sun report that if Claude Puel’s side successfully recruited Lascelles then he would be the perfect direct replacement for Maguire if he ended up at Old Trafford this summer.
OPINION
It seems that Lascelles no matter how many times he publicly commits himself the Magpies, will still be linked with a move away. This is understandable given that he is a fantastic centre-back who has proven himself in the Premier League and has the potential to get better seeing as he’s still only 24-years-old. However it would be devastating for the Magpies if he was to depart St James Park anytime soon. Lascelles was a key member of Rafa Benitez’s side last season, making 35 appearances, and there’s no reason to suggest that will change in the near future. The only positive from The Sun’s report on the Foxes’ interest in Lascelles is that it seems it might go away if Maguire is kept at the club. It seems that the Foxes are only looking to sign Lascelles in order to cover the potential lose of Maguire to Man United and there’s no guarantee that Jose Mourinho’s side will make their interest in the centre-back concrete before the transfer window shuts on August 9.
