A move within the Premier League is ‘on the cards’ for Man Utd captain Harry Maguire this summer, though there’ll reportedly be two key caveats attached.

The writing was on the wall for Maguire as soon as Lisandro Martinez was signed last summer. The Argentine has supplanted Maguire at left centre-back and wasted no time forming a fine partnership with Raphael Varane.

Maguire has thus been relegated to the bench, though that wasn’t the full extent of his slip down the order.

Indeed, Erik ten Hag has deployed left-back Luke Shaw out of position at centre-back on three occasions in 2023. Each instance came at the expense of Maguire who remained among the substitutes.

United great, Rio Ferdinand, claimed that if Sir Alex Ferguson had done the same to him involving Patrice Evra, for example, he’d have wanted to “strangle” Evra.

“If you’re [Maguire] you have to leave now,” exclaimed Ferdinand in response.

The Manchester Evening News, talkSPORT and Mail Plus have all since reported Maguire is up for sale this summer. The latter outlet reported United are resigned to only recouping half of the £80m they paid Leicester if he leaves outright.

However, according to a fresh report from the Sun, Maguire’s potential exit may actually come via the loan route.

Maguire to return to Leicester on loan?

The newspaper state a return to Leicester ‘is on the cards’, though the Foxes will be restricted to a loan deal, not a permanent one.

It’s claimed Maguire may have suitors willing to bring him on board outright. ESPN previously reported West Ham showed interest in January. However, if the Hammers are relegated, the move would no longer be viable.

In any case, the Sun claim a return to the King Power would be a ‘dignified’ deal and one that’ll allow Maguire to once again become a ‘massive hero’ as he was during his previous stint with the club.

A leaky defence has plagued the Foxes all season and Maguire is seen as someone who would be a ‘huge’ step towards remedying their woes. Only Bournemouth (55) and Nottingham Forest (50) have conceded more than Leicester (49) in the league this term.

TRANSFER GOSSIP: Dominant centre-back open to joining Liverpool in bitter blow to Man Utd hopes of deal; ruthless Ten Hag ready to ditch eight United stars

The deal would also allow Maguire to return to playing week in, week out. That’s something that’ll assume greater significance with his starting role for England at Euro 2024 to come under the microscope if he warms the bench at Old Trafford two seasons in a row.

However, a loan to Leicester would reportedly only be viable on two conditions.

Firstly, the Foxes obviously have to avoid being relegated to the Championship. Defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday leaves Leicester 18th heading into Sunday’s matches.

The second caveat revolves around Leicester absorbing all of Maguire’s wages. The Sun concluded “United would look for a full salary to ease any financial pain for them.”

Maguire’s contract with United doesn’t expire until 2025 and there’s also a club option for an extra 12 months.

As such, they can afford to sanction a one-year loan and not put themselves at risk of losing a player who still retains some value for nothing.

READ MORE: Ten Hag leaks potential first summer signing, with Man Utd striker chase taking unexpected turn

The article Harry Maguire move to Prem rival ‘on the cards’, with ‘dignified’ deal allowing Man Utd captain to become ‘massive hero’ again appeared first on Teamtalk.com.