Harry Maguire and his agent can negotiate with any team from January 1, 2025 because at that time he only has 6 months left on his contract. The previous contract extension had a 1-year activation clause until 2026, but this clause was initiated by Man United, not the English midfielder.
If Maguire decides to leave next January, Man United's one-year activation clause will immediately go to waste whether the "Red Devils" want it or not. The problem is that if Maguire has agreed to another team next month but Man United still keep the decision to activate the sub- clause, both sides will need to ask FIFA to resolve it. However, according to the habit, FIFA often gives the player the victory in such cases.
According to The Athletic, Man United are looking to give Maguire a new contract after recent positive signals on the pitch. If they do not do it quickly, the Old Trafford team could be broken up by the "ounce worm" of other teams. Recently, there have been rumors that Napoli wants Maguire. The Italian team bought Scott McTominay from M.U and the Scottish midfielder is currently playing very well.
Not only Napoli, Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce could also be interested in Maguire after buying two other Man United players, Fred and Sofyan Amrabat, in the past two years. Not only Fenerbahce, in the Turkish league, Galatasaray is also closely monitoring Maguire's situation.
The reason why Man United are in a difficult situation in this case is because Maguire's form is at a very difficult level to determine. He did not play well enough to have an irreplaceable influence. However, without Maguire in the 3-center-back formation, whether starting or coming on as a substitute, Ruben Amorim will feel lacking. After a period of being criticized for being good at "acting comedy" on the pitch, with his professionalism, Maguire is gradually regaining his confidence and playing better with each match.
In early December, when Bruno Fernandes left the field in the big win over Everton, the captaincy of Man United was handed over to Harry Maguire. He was previously captain under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. However, due to his poor form, Erik ten Hag took him off this position.
Since then, Maguire has gradually regained confidence. Ruben Amorim's handing him the captain's armband in the win over Everton after Bruno left the pitch was the clearest proof of his confidence in the English star.
Since the beginning of the season, Maguire has started 8 matches and appeared as a substitute 3 times in the Premier League. With the current 3-4-3 formation, Amorim really needs a strong, solid person to guard in the middle. If it were not De Ligt, it would be Maguire or vice versa. Amorim needs a large force to avoid running out of steam and rotating, if Maguire is left out at this time, the remaining players will not be capable enough to replace De Ligt.
