Harry Maguire now 'harder to sell' after receiving Manchester United pay rise

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire could be harder to sell this summer after receiving a 'considerable' pay rise from the club, it has been claimed.

Maguire, 30, has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford after struggling for minutes last season.

The England international lost his place in the side to Lisandro Martinez early on in the campaign and slipped further down the pecking order under Erik ten Hag, with Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and even left-back Luke Shaw preferred in central defence.

United have a limited transfer budget this summer due to Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations and will need to sell players if they are make several high-profile signings, with the club completing a £55m deal for Mason Mount on Wednesday.

Ten Hag is reportedly willing to allow club captain Maguire to leave this summer but it could be difficult to sell the former Leicester defender, who still has two years left on his deal at Old Trafford.

The Guardian have reported that Maguire and the rest of the senior United squad were rewarded with a 'considerable' wage increase after last season's third-place finish in the Premier League took the club back into the Champions League.

"Maguire's increased pay means he will measure any prospective move against the potential loss of earnings as well as weighing up whether it would be the correct football decision for a centre-back who wishes to remain an automatic choice for England," read the report.

How big was Maguire's pay rise?

Earlier this year, the Daily Mail reported that United's players were set to receive pay rises of up to 20 per cent for finishing inside the top four.

It came after the squad had their wages reduced by up to 25 per cent as a result of finishing sixth the previous season.

Ten Hag began the summer window with a budget of about £120m, according to The Guardian, with just under half of that spent on signing Mount from Chelsea.

The Dutchman is keen to sign to continue his rebuild with a first-choice goalkeeper and a No 9 this summer. It is claimed that selling Maguire, who cost £80m, could bring in between £30m and £40m given his age and decline in form.

Ten Hag is also said to be willing to allow Fred and Anthony Elanga to leave, potentially raising £100m in additional transfer funds.

But whether Maguire - or Fred and Elanga - would be willing to leave Old Trafford remains to be seen.