OPINION: Man Utd's Maguire transfer problem is 'unavoidable but necessary'

Man Utd are pursuing a transfer for the Leicester City and England centre-back.

Many of Manchester United's current problems in the summer transfer window are of their own making and now they have to face with a new problem: Harry Maguire.

Let's start with the cold, hard facts. Maguire is good enough to play for Manchester United. He would improve their current back line and seemingly slot into a squad now packed full of homegrown English talent. He's a class player.

But he's not quite as good as Matthijs de Ligt, the 19-year-old boy mountain who has just completed a £67.5million transfer from Ajax to Juventus.

There are still some in the football-loving fraternity who will view that figure for De Ligt and baulk. Most, however, would accept that it's an excellent price for an excellent player.

Nearly all, however, could be forgiven for scratching their heads and wondering why United will most certainly have to pay at least £10million more for Maguire.

So many factors are at play here: the fact Ajax are a 'selling club' and would be delighted with their lot; Leicester's bloated Premier League TV income that means they don't have to sell assets, the premium placed on homegrown players moving within the English top flight; previous moves that have determined the market value of such players, plus United's desperation to sign a centre-back.

You could argue the last of those factors is United's fault. In buying Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof in successive summers, they ought to have ironed out the long-standing problem in the centre of defence. But Bailly has been injury-prone and none of the alternatives — Jones, Rojo or Chris Smalling — fill supporters with much confidence.

So it's a problem of the modern transfer market and the Premier League centre-back market in particular — which has been hugely affected by the £75million deal taking Virgil van Dijk from Southampton to Liverpool 18 months ago — that leaves United in this predicament.

You can understand Leicester's stance. As Brendan Rodgers has said, they don't need to sell Maguire and they're within their rights to demand a Van Dijk type fee for one of the league's best centre-backs.

But it leaves United in a position where they must make Maguire the world's most expensive defender if they're to land him. That's a label that will put extra pressure on the player, the club and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. It will increase the scrutiny on everyone involved in the deal, which is unfair on many of them.

Unfortunately, there's little can be done about it, so United will have to grit their teeth and sign a player they need, for a fee that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. That's modern football, as we've come to know it.