Maguire, Eric Dier, Harry Arter... The unwanted players who don’t want to move

How do you solve a problem like Maguire?

While it easily sounds like it could be a leading number in Manchester United: The Musical, the question has been lingering for the last few months regarding the future of their central defender Harry Maguire.

For now, at least, it looks as if he will be staying put in the final week of the summer window despite the club's best efforts to shift their 30-year-old former captain. Since moving to Old Trafford from Leicester City in a deal thought to be worth £80million ($100.8m in today's currency) four years ago, the now 57-cap England international's career has tracked through the stages of record signing, ever-present captain, under-fire star to its current status: bit-part player fighting for his future.

Just when it looked like a £30million move to West Ham United earlier this window would be the solution to a sorry saga that has done little for the player's wellbeing or the health of manager Erik ten Hag's squad, came a spanner in the works. Maguire, despite fans willingly ushering him towards the exit, actually did not want to leave. And with the collapse of that deal, it looks like the 30-year-old could carry on at United past Friday's deadline on a contract that doesn't expire until the end of the 2024-25 season.

Maguire is far from alone in the “not wanted where he is but not willing to leave” category of players, presenting a headache for clubs who are quite used to picking up and discarding talent as it suits them.

At Chelsea, Romelu Lukaku's summer has been one long-running transfer saga. First, the club wanted him gone but the 30-year-old striker wanted to stay. Now Lukaku is said to want to leave but finding a club to take him has proven difficult, with loan options now