AC Milan express interest in Manchester United's Harry Maguire?

The 30-year-old have been heavily linked with a move away from Old Trafford since falling down the pecking order under manager Erik ten Hag.

Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof are all preferred in central defence to Maguire, who started just eight Premier League games last season.

After being stripped of the captaincy over the summer, Maguire was tipped to join West Ham United on either a permanent or loan deal, but a move to the London Stadium ultimately failed to materialise.

Maguire has since started just two of Man United's 11 games in all competitions so far this season, and the defender recently suggested that he may consider an exit if he continues to play "once every month".

West Ham allegedly still hold an interest in Maguire, but they could face competition for his signature as talkSPORT claims that AC Milan are among several Serie A clubs who are closely monitoring the defender's situation.

Maguire could follow in the footsteps of former Red Devils defender Chris Smalling who has relaunched his career in Italy with Roma after falling down the pecking order in the latter stages of his time at Old Trafford.

Smalling is not the only Englishman plying his trade in Italy, as Tammy Abraham is also representing Roma, while Fikayo Tomori and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are playing alongside each other at Milan.

Since leaving Chelsea in 2021, Tomori has become a first-team regular with the Rossoneri and has made a total of 116 appearances in all competitions, including 45 outings last season.

Loftus-Cheek, meanwhile, swapped Stamford Bridge for San Siro in the summer and has featured eight times in midfield, including five Serie A starts.

It remains to be seen whether Maguire, who has just under two years remaining on his Man United contract, would be interested in a move abroad at this stage of his career.

Speculation over Maguire's future comes at a time when the Red Devils are allegedly exploring the market for a new central defender.

Sporting Lisbon's Goncalo Inacio is believed to be one of their top targets ahead of the New Year, although Maguire's future could allegedly determine whether or not United step up their pursuit of the 22-year-old.

Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi has also emerged as a possible target for the Red Devils, while the likes of Benfica's Antonio Silva, Nice's Jean-Clair Todibo and Bayer Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba have also been linked with a move to the red side of Manchester.

Meanwhile, Maguire's teammate Lindelof has expressed his desire to remain at Man United and has claimed that it is "quite likely" that the club will activate the one-year option to extend his contract.