West Ham agree deal in principle to sign Harry Maguire from Manchester United for £30m
West Ham have reportedly agreed a deal in principle to sign Manchester United’s Harry Maguire, as the England international’s future at Old Trafford has been hanging in the balance for some time.
Harry Maguire became the world’s most expensive defender when he signed for Man United on a £80m deal back in 2019 and despite having a fairly solid first season, it’s safe to say that his time in a red shirt has been pretty turbulent ever since.
From being stripped of the captaincy last month to receiving boos in pre-season, this year’s campaign was never going to be straightforward for the 30-year-old defender, but it now looks as though he might be swapping one United for another ahead of the Premier League restart.
As per numerous outlets, West Ham United are said to have agreed “a deal in principle” with his current employers to sign Maguire for a fee of around £30 million, meaning he’d be leaving the club for £50m less than he joined them for.
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The Athletic‘s Laurie Whitewell has stated that “personal terms are not expected to be an issue” and while the struggling centre-back wanted to stay and fight for his place — supposedly training three times a day to get sharp — it became clear that the chances of regular football wouldn’t be guaranteed.
West Ham and former United manager, David Moyes, had made his interest in Maguire clear over the past few weeks and months, and there had been rumours that the 60-year-old could even offer him the captaincy to sweeten the deal after Declan Rice vacated the position with his move to Arsenal.
It was also reported that the Irons wanted to sign Scott McTominay along with the United number five but that an initial £60m offer for both players was rejected, and although both the Scotsman and his regular midfielder partner Fred could both still be on their way out, nothing has been agreed as yet.
So, provided the deal gets over the line, as we’re sure many Reds will be relieved to hear if/when it does (the general consensus is that it’s probably the best outcome for everyone), Maguire’s four-year stay at United is soon to come to an end and ten Hag will no doubt be looking to find another replacement.
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Featured Image — Harry Maguire (via Instagram)/West Ham United (via Twitter)