How Man Utd could record PROFIT on Harry Maguire despite splashing out record £80m on flop defender transfer
MANCHESTER UNITED captain Harry Maguire remains linked with a summer exit.
And the Red Devils could end up recording a profit on the misfit defender.
That’s despite spending a world-record £80million on him in a transfer move four years ago.
Maguire, 30, joined United from Leicester in 2019.
And after a bright start to his Old Trafford career, the England ace gradually found himself dropping down the pecking order.
Maguire featured just 16 times in the league under Erik ten Hag last season.
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And United are now reportedly looking to move him on as they raise funds for new signings, with Newcastle interested in a move.
The Red Devils splashed £80m on Maguire when they signed him from the King Power Stadium.
However, they could yet still make a profit on the centre-back.
That’s because of amortisation, with the claiming Maguire’s fee was spread across a six-year payment plan.
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It means he currently has a book value left of around £26.6m.
So if United manage to sell Maguire for a fee higher than that number, it means they can record his sale as a profit under Financial Fair Play
The loophole is a key reason why clubs are tending to go for younger players, as seen with Mason Mount’s United switch.
And some sides like Chelsea are even basing their entire transfer plans around amortisation.
Dr Rob wilson of Sheffield Hallam University said: "If Maguire was sold for around £30million, that would add around £5million back into the FFP budget.
“If you think about it it's because they're always depreciating assets, unless you pick up a player at 23 or 24, which is why the Mount deal is a bit of a coup for United, because his value could still accelerate if he does really well.
"Maguire was bought at the peak of value and was only going to go down anyway, regardless of player performance."
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