Leicester Leading the way?

80m for Maguire is mental. Fair play.

Smaller clubs will still continue to lose their players to bigger clubs but just at a higher price, nothing else has changed.
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Pretty much. Look at Mahrez, Walker, and Sanchez.

The best bit of biz was Drinkwater! Sold him for 5 mil more than Kante...... LCFC AKA D$ck Turpen!

Stand and deliver! Or was that Adam Ant?

PS Admin that was his name! Highway robber.

I think it was Kante and Drinkwater that hardened our stance.

In the old days Mahrez would have gone at the first sniff from Man City and Maguire would have gone last Summer to Utd.

comment by True Blue (U9486)

posted 52 minutes ago

I think it was Kante and Drinkwater that hardened our stance.

In the old days Mahrez would have gone at the first sniff from Man City and Maguire would have gone last Summer to Utd.
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Jose wanted him, but Ed said no. So he wouldn't have left last season. Partly why Jose was a miserable git and played McTominay in defence.

I think that these comments are correct. Clubs don’t need to sell players to survive anymore and nor do they need money to service contracts.

The cascade of money is still massively in favour of the bigger clubs, but holding out for big money ensures that it gets down to lower levels as well. Players will still, ultimately, move, but now they have to want to push a move and also the buying club has to pay a big fee. That’s certainly the case with Leicester now and one or two others.

I actually think we learned after Kante. Vardy also had a release clause, but chose to stay. Mahrez and Drinkwater followed the premise above - they were prepared to force through moves, but still went for inflated fees. We can’t say we didn’t get good money and Kante is the only player we lost on the cheap. Although the person who put a £35m release clause in his contract could be forgiven for thinking it wouldn’t be released a year later when he signed for £5.6m.

I think the Maguire to Man Utd rumours were strong at the start of last season. I don’t believe that if he’d been available for £25-35m he’d still be in a Leicester shirt even if it’s true that Ed Woodward ultimately blocked the move.

If he was cheaper (at the price you are saying), it could have gone through, though we were linked with others as well (older cheaper players, they were blocked due to their age). Reportedly, Jose was told he had already signed two CBs and he should get the best out of them.

Joby - if I recall correctly the release clause for Kante was reputed to be about £20M - to a club with Champions League football. Chelsea had to offer more because they didn't have that at the time; if we'd rejected their offer he could have been snapped up for a lower price by one of the top 4.

If Woodward is refusing to pay £80M for Harry I reckon he's a pretty smart cookie. If he's refusing to pay £80M for the sort of centre back United need then not so much.

Ed is a smart guy. Just not when it comes to football.

Seems like the rumour is that it’s City at £80 million for Maguire!

Great Business if true, Leicester holding out for a World record fee for a defender.