Manchester City will turn their attention to other defensive targets if Leicester refuse to budge on their £90million asking price for Harry Maguire.
Back-to-back Premier League champions City have made the England international a priority target after going cold on Ajax skipper and fellow centre-back Matthijs de Ligt but are unwilling to meet an asking price for the 26-year-old that is deemed excessive.
They are prepared to beat the £60m club record fee paid, also to Leicester, for winger Riyad Mahrez last year but senior sources insist they have drawn up a list of alternatives should the Foxes refuse to budge on their valuation of Maguire.
The domestic Treble winners have made it clear during talks with targets such as Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong and Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez in recent years that they are no longer a club who will break the budget they have set on players.
Manchester United are also keen on Maguire, but the Yorkshireman is reported to prefer a move to the Etihad. City, however, are prepared to walk away if the numbers don’t add up for them.
Leicester don’t want to sell the former Hull and Sheffield United star — and their hand has also been strengthened by the fact it is no secret City need a new centre-back after captain Vincent Kompany left to rejoin Belgium's Anderlecht as their new player-manager.
SD533
67
I know the market is crazy nowadays but is he really worth that fortune? I don't think so.
AverageS4v4g3
62
40m, that's being modest given the crazy transfer market these days. And people want to blame city for market inflation..... it's not the buying clubs it's the selling clubs
Royjohn
42
Leicester City are out of their mind, they can as well have him for all I care.
Maxpower
22
After what PSG Man U and Barcelona pulled with these 130 million and up to 200 million transfers, clubs have looked into "who was taken over by oil money" or "the big clubs have a lot of money, tell them to give me more" its sad. Neymar was not worth 220 million, Mbappe wasnt worth 180 million, Coutinho was not worth his price, Dembele, nor Pogba. They've only made the market harder for themselves, because they might have "a lot of money" but their board doesnt want to spend it and keep it to themselves. City dont need Maguire, they can fix up Stones with Peps discipline, and he'll be a great player over time. Its the other teams that dont have loads of money that will struggle