Chelsea have been linked with Manchester United captain Harry Maguire as they continue their search for new central defensive signings.
The Blues have reportedly made a shock enquiry about Maguire's availability amid growing doubt over the defender's future at Manchester United.
The move comes as a surprise to many as the defender has not covered himself in glory in the past two seasons but there are multiple reasons why a move to Chelsea is a good idea for Maguire and the club.
Maguire still has quality
Contrary to popular opinion, Maguire is a great defender, his woes over the last two years have been mostly down to playing in a bad Manchester United team.
ALSO READ
Harry Maguire emerges as the second most-abused footballer on Twitter
Rumours: Chelsea considering buying Harry Maguire from Manchester United
Ten Hag is smart for sticking with Maguire, Man United fans must learn to accept their captain
Although he was massively overpriced at £80 million back in 2019, there is a reason Manchester United paid that much for him in the first place to make Maguire the most expensive defender in the world.
In his two seasons at Leicester City, Maguire displayed fantastic quality on the ball which attracted the interest of Pep Guardiola for Manchester City but ultimately backed out of any potential deal because of the high valuation.
Admittedly, Maguire has not looked as good as he did at Leicester City in three years at Manchester United so far, he is still, however, a great ball-playing central defender and quality like that doesn't just disappear, especially not at 29 years old.
What would Maguire offer Chelsea?
In Harry Maguire, Chelsea would have a reliable centre-back option to rotate along with their current options and the English defender would benefit from Thomas Tuchel's solid defensive structure.
Chelsea plays with three centre-backs and Maguire would be perfect to slot in as the central one of those three, a position currently held by Thiago Silva.
The issue is that Silva will be 38 years old in September and Chelsea currently has no backup for him which is dangerous considering the Brazilian is susceptible to injuries and is most likely playing in his last season for the club.
That is where Maguire comes in, a move to Chelsea would also give the Englishman a fresh start without the burden of leadership that he currently bears at Manchester United, allowing him to play his best football again.
The best for all involved
Not that signing Maguire doesn't have its cons for Chelsea, they are just far more outweighed by the pros which make the transfer worth the risk.
Maguire's stock is currently down which means he will be available at a cut price as a cheaper alternative to Chelsea's other centre-back targets.
For Maguire, he gets a less toxic environment and a better team for him to try and redeem his image by playing good football again.
Chelsea would be getting a Thiago Silva replacement who is cheap and experienced, another to strengthen the English core in the squad, this is potentially a win-win situation for Maguire and the club.