West Ham have re-opened talks with Manchester United with the hopes of getting a deal for Harry Maguire across the line, according to The Sun.
The Hammers had reached an agreement with the Premier League giants to sign Maguire for £30 million earlier this month. David Moyes’ side had also reportedly agreed a four-year deal on £120,000 a week, £70k less than the England international’s current salary.
However, the transfer collapsed after Maguire demanded a significant pay-off from Manchester United. The Red Devils had offered a £6 million bonus, but the center-back wants more, as he will be able to receive higher wages as a free agent when his contract ends in 2025.
Maguire’s stance has made it difficult for United, who want to raise funds to bring in new players. Moyes, in the mean time, is determined to take the defender to the London Stadium despite going on to sign Konstantinos Mavropanos from VfB Stuttgart for £18 million.
Both Premier League clubs have, therefore, re-opened talks over a deal for Maguire, according to the aforementioned source. West Ham are considering paying the Red Devils a little more money to help them pay off the former Leicester City star.
While there is a desire from both sides to reach an agreement, they are far from doing a deal as things stand. It remains to be seen if they can reach a compromise before the transfer window closes on Friday (September 1).
What has happened to Harry Maguire at Manchester United?
Harry Maguire joined Manchester United from Leicester for a whopping sum of £80 million in 2019. He was made the captain of the club within six months of his arrival. He also made 144 appearances across competitions in his first three seasons with the English giants.
However, the center-back fell out of favor after Erik ten Hag took charge as the Red Devils’ manager last summer. He was restricted to 16 starts across competitions last season. He is currently behind Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and even Luke Shaw in the pecking order.
Ten Hag made his feelings about Maguire clear when he stripped the England international of the captain’s armband earlier this summer. Manchester United have since named Bruno Fernandes as their new skipper.
Maguire risks losing his place in England manager Gareth Southgate’s preferred starting XI ahead of next year’s UEFA European Championship if he does not play regularly. It, thus, remains to be seen if he will eventually soften his stance of wanting a hefty pay-off from United.
