LONDON: A person with knowledge of the deal says Manchester United are set to break the world transfer record for a defender after agreeing to pay £80 million ($97 million) to sign Harry Maguire from Leicester City.
The person spoke to Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the transfer is yet to be finalized.
United had been pursuing the 26-year-old Maguire for more than a year since his standout performances at the 2018 World Cup for England.
The person says United have reached an agreement with Leicester with a week remaining in the summer transfer window ahead of the Premier League season opening. The fee eclipses the deal struck in July for Matthijs de Ligt to leave Ajax for Juventus for €75 million euros (then $85 million).
United open their campaign against Chelsea on Sunday, Aug. 11. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are trying to return to the Champions League after finishing sixth in the Premier League last season.
Manchester United to pay $97m for Leicester defender Harry Maguire
Manchester United to pay $97m for Leicester defender Harry Maguire
- United had been pursuing the 26-year-old Maguire for more than a year
- United open their campaign against Chelsea on Sunday, Aug. 11
Lola Yamaha ABT look for pace and points under the lights in Jeddah
- After missing points in Miami, team hope for better showing
- Working hard, say drivers Zane Maloney and Lucas di Grassi
JEDDAH: Lola Yamaha ABT are returning to race under the lights of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, where they are hoping to add to their points tally for season 12 of the Formula E World Championship this Friday and Saturday.
Situated alongside the Red Sea, the 19-turn, 3-km track features a long start and finish straight, technical chicanes and sweeping turns. The Saudi Arabian doubleheader will once again be at night.
And also host the first pit-boost race of season 12 where very driver must complete a 30-second, 600-kilowatt boost in the pitlane, giving an extra 10 percent of energy.
Last time in Miami, the team showed good pace throughout the weekend where they narrowly missed out on points, with Zane Maloney finishing 11th and Lucas di Grassi 13th, but they are hopeful for Jeddah.
“After a generally positive race in Miami, where we were much more competitive, I’m looking forward to taking to the track again in Jeddah,” di Grassi said.
“Racing at night always presents different challenges, with changes in temperature and lighting.
“With not much time between these races, we’ve been putting in the hours in the sim (simulator) to ensure we are as prepared as possible to maximize on the improvements seen last time out.”
Maloney said: “Although we narrowly missed out on points in Miami, it was a positive weekend for the team with good pace that shows we are moving in the right direction.
“Jeddah is a fast, technical circuit, which will test the team in different ways, particularly with the addition of the first pit boost of the season. However, we’ve been working hard in the short race gap and I’m confident we can be in the mix to score points this weekend.”
“We saw positive steps forward with organization and processes behind the scenes in Miami and this showed with good race pace which we are hoping to translate to points here in Jeddah,” said Mark Preston, team principal of Lola Yamaha ABT.
