West Ham hatch plan for ‘cut-price’ signing of Man Utd star after deal collapsed last summer
According to reports, West Ham United will renew their interest in Manchester United star Harry Maguire ahead of this summer’s transfer window.
Maguire was negatively impacted by the arrival of Erik ten Hag ahead of the 2022/23 season as his poor performances saw him slip way down the pecking order.
Failed West Ham transfer
Last summer, Man Utd needed to offload unwanted players to raise funds for signings and Maguire’s exit felt inevitable after he barely featured for the Premier League giants during Ten Hag’s debut season as head coach.
Several Premier League clubs were linked with the experienced centre-back but West Ham were most interested in signing him.
The Hammers eventually agreed on a fee in the region of £30m with their Premier League rivals but the transfer ended up falling through as Maguire was not open to the move.
Maguire’s decision to stick with Man Utd has paid off as he has featured more this season than he did in 22/23 but his future remains in doubt as his current contract is due to expire in 2025.
According to The Sun, West Ham are ‘ready to make a cut-price transfer approach’ to Man Utd for Maguire ahead of next season. The report adds.
‘Moyes is keen to bring in a defender who can win headers after realising his Hammers squad is short in that department. The Scot is coming back to Maguire as an ideal man to fill the vacancy — months after first trying to land him from Old Trafford.
‘The Irons will try again and hope the asking price has dropped enough to make the signing possible. And with Maguire closer to the end of his lucrative contract, he may be more open to a deal in London that would extend his time in the Premier League.
‘West Ham could be willing to pay around £15-£20m.’
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Moyes to leave West Ham?
West Ham beat Freiburg 5-1 on aggregate to qualify for the Europa League quarter-finals in midweek but Moyes is coming under increasing pressure and could leave upon the expiry of his contract in the summer.
Graham Potter and Julen Lopetegui have been mooted as potential replacements and Fabrizio Romano is of the understanding that the run-in “will be important” for West Ham and Moyes.
“No, I don’t have information that Tim Steidten is looking at any other candidates,” Romano told Caught Offside.
“West Ham will discuss the manager’s position at the end of the season, it will take time before deciding the next steps and until then they keep going with Moyes. It will be an important final part of the season for West Ham’s future.”
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