Former Leicester City midfielder Vicente Iborra believes Harry Maguire has the credentials to be as good as Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk, should he make the move to Manchester City. The England international has been with the Foxes for the past two seasons but it remains unclear whether he will be at the club amid interest from both City and Manchester United.

Speaking to AS, Iborra acknowledged that his former teammate is a great player and he can develop into a world-class ace, should he make the switch to the Etihad Stadium, he said: “He is a great player. He’s very powerful, with good balance, great at bringing the ball out and he can score goals. He had a great World Cup and is a super footballer. His transfer to Manchester City could be like Van Dijk’s to Liverpool.”

At present, both City and United are said to be interested in the former Hull City man but the latter are understood to hold the advantage. Pep Guardiola’s side are currently £15m short of matching the Foxes’ £80m valuation, but they remain confident of pursuing the defender, who is said to be eager to feature in the Champions League.

Aside from Maguire, the Mancunian giants have also been associated with a potential move for Rodri from Atletico Madrid but so far, they have yet to strike a transfer agreement. The Citizens were hugely impressive during the previous campaign as they became the first-ever club to secure a domestic treble in England.

Still, there was the disappointment of coming short of the Champions League crown and it remains to be seen whether they can take the extra step next term. The Citizens have a Community Shield game against Liverpool at the beginning of August before the league opener against West Ham United on the road.