Neville believes Leicester City will be under pressure to keep Maguire

Manchester United legend-turned-pundit Gary Neville has said that Leicester City face a huge battle to keep hold of Harry Maguire this summer amid interest from both Manchester United and Manchester City. The England international was heavily linked with a move to the Red Devils last summer but the Foxes managed to sway away the interest by convincing the centre-back to sign a new long-term deal.

Despite this, the speculation regarding the defender’s future has refused to cease and recent reports have claimed that United and City could go head-to-head to pursue the services of the former Hull City man. Speaking to Sky Sports, Neville said that Maguire has improved immensely in the past couple of seasons and he can be placed in the bracket of John Stones, considering his composure and ball-playing abilities.

He added that the Foxes face a battle to keep hold of the central defender with interest from two of Europe’s biggest sides, he said: “If you think of the attributes of centre-backs, he has them in abundance. Leicester fans won’t thank me for this, but they’re going to be under real pressure to keep him this summer. We talk about John Stones being good on the ball, I actually think Maguire is the equal of him on the ball. A big statement, maybe, as Stones is seen as the composed, ball-playing centre-back, but I think Maguire is just as good on the ball.”

Maguire had been regularly linked with a move to Old Trafford last summer but United eventually baulked at the £75m valuation from the east Midlands outfit. However, the same does not appear the case anymore with Maguire having impressed for the second-straight Premier League campaign and both United and City may potentially go on a bidding battle to secure his signature. Maguire has made 76 appearances for the Foxes to date, scoring five goals in the process.