CAUSING A STER
Harry Maguire left out of Leicester’s final pre-season friendly as Man Utd aim to complete £80m transfer
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LEICESTER are set to drop Harry Maguire to keep the Manchester United target out of the spotlight.
Atalanta visit the Foxes on Friday night for their final pre-season game but the defender is not expected to play.
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According to , manager Brendan Rodgers held talks with Maguire on Thursday and both parties agreed it was best for him to sit the friendly one out.
Leicester fear he is not in the right frame of mind amid the speculation he could sign for United.
Maguire's future will, one way or another, be settled once the transfer window shuts in just under a week's time.
Until then, his club prefer to keep him under lock and key.
Leicester's shirt numbers release video came out on Thursday and the England star was conspicuously absent.
Sun Sport understand a move to Old Trafford to be the object of Maguire's desire.
With Leicester determined to keep him, they have slapped an £85million price tag on their star asset with the Red Devils just £5m short of that at the moment.
He is said to feel that the Foxes rejecting the £80m bid would go back on a gentleman's agreement made last year, when it was decided they would let him leave if a reasonable offer was made.
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That said, United's latest approach is yet to be officially rebuffed - unlike their £70m opening gambit.
Eric Bailly's latest serious knee injury has focused minds in Manchester, the Ivorian out until Christmas.
Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward held crisis talks with coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer earlier in the week to get their final deals over the line.
The transfer deadline for English clubs is pencilled in for 5pm on Thursday, August 8.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirms Man Utd defender Eric Bailly will be out for ‘four of five months’ after surgery on knee injury
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