Maguire's new role revealed! Manchester United sees him as a secret weapon to persuade Anderson to reject Manchester City.

Manchester United's 33-year-old veteran Maguire officially renewed his contract this week. British "TEAMtalk" reports that he is also regarded by the club as a "secret weapon" to compete with Manchester City for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson, who may cost over £100 million.

Strengthening midfield strength has always been Manchester United's top priority in the summer transfer window, and Anderson is indeed their primary target on the recruitment list. However, Manchester City is considered the top favorite to sign this 23-year-old England international. Yet Manchester United is unwilling to give up hope, and Nottingham Forest is also pleased to see it, hoping to trigger a bidding war so that Anderson's price surpasses the £100 million mark.

British media reports that Manchester United does not intend to let their noisy neighbors have an easy time, so they are deploying a secret weapon, planning to arrange for Maguire to persuade Anderson to abandon Manchester City and instead join Manchester United. Sir Jim Ratcliffe's management team hopes Maguire can contact Anderson to facilitate his transfer to Manchester United, just as past players of the club have done. Other England national team players from Manchester United, Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw, may also persuade Anderson to choose Manchester United over Manchester City.

Manchester United has repeatedly recruited England internationals who performed well in major international tournaments, such as Rio Ferdinand after the 2002 World Cup and Wayne Rooney after the 2004 European Championship. Current manager Michael Carrick also joined the Red Devils from Tottenham after the 2006 World Cup. However, in recent years, the appeal of the Red Devils to top English stars has significantly diminished.

Nevertheless, Manchester United believes that with the departure of high-salaried players like Casemiro and Jadon Sancho after their contracts expire, and if they sell players like Marcus Rashford, André Onana, Manuel Ugarte, and Joshua Zirkzee, the club will possess financial strength surpassing competitors this summer, potentially offering £100 million or more to secure Anderson, thereby causing Manchester City to miss this opportunity.

Unfortunately, reality is harsh. Regardless of Manchester United's views, Anderson is considered Manchester City's prize; unless that club gives up, the Red Devils may miss out on him. According to Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Manchester City has been actively and seriously pursuing Anderson since February, maintaining continuous communication with the player's side, and negotiations are steadily progressing.

Of course, although Manchester City is actively pursuing him, the transfer fee and agreement have not yet been finalized. Negotiations with Nottingham Forest will be crucial, influenced by Forest's Premier League relegation battle outcome, and both sides respect each other's valuations. Manchester United can only hope that the two parties cannot reach an agreement, which would open the door of hope for them to acquire Anderson.

As long as the transfer is not finalized, Manchester United will continue to be linked with it. In fact, the Red Devils are rumored to be connected with almost every potentially transferable midfielder. This week's new protagonist is Aston Villa's 23-year-old English attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers.

It is reported that Carrick recommended Rogers to Manchester United's football director Jason Wilcox, having worked with him at Middlesbrough. Rogers renewed his contract with Villa last November, and the new contract has no release clause, so the主动权 belongs to Villa. Villa's current record transfer fee for selling a player is £100 million for transferring Jack Grealish to Manchester City; they would demand a similar price for Rogers.

Moreover, since Middlesbrough holds a 20% share of Rogers' secondary transfer fee, the asking price for this player will be even higher. Additionally, if Villa successfully secures qualification for next season's Champions League, they are unlikely to sell their current key players. Currently, Unai Emery's team ranks fourth in the Premier League, only one point behind Manchester United and six points ahead of sixth-placed Chelsea.