Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has revealed they could not afford a deal for Harry Maguire, who is set to join Manchester United. City, who handed a debut to £62.8million club record-signing Rodri against Liverpool on Sunday, have had a fairly quiet summer in the transfer market and look to have missed out on the England defender.
The Leicester man is on the verge of completing his move to Old Trafford for around £80million, and Guardiola claimed his club could not compete financially with their neighbours.
Speaking after the Community Shield win over Liverpool, Guardiola admitted Maguire is a player he wanted to sign, but the total package involved appears to be too much. “Maguire is an excellent, top-class player,” Guardiola revealed when quizzed about his interest.
“We were interested but we could not afford it. United afforded it. “He’s an excellent player, he made an incredible World Cup, he’s strong in the air, good with the ball in the build up and he’s so fast. “Congratulations for United for this signing.”
