West Ham: Hammers agree Harry Maguire fee
The Hammers could be in for a busy few weeks both on and off the pitch.
West Ham United have agreed a deal to sign Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, Fabrizio Romano reports.
What’s the latest West Ham transfer news?
The Hammers and David Moyes have been quiet in the transfer market when it comes to incomings, however, there have been a number of departures ahead of the new Premier League season.
In total, the club have brought in around £135m in player sales, with Declan Rice, Gianluca Scamacca, Nikola Vlasic and Arthur Masuaku all leaving for Arsenal, Atalanta, Torino and Besiktas respectively.
Attacking midfielder Manuel Lanzini has also left after his contract expired, so it could be an extremely busy month when it comes to arrivals ahead of the September 1 deadline.
The first new player who is set to join up with Moyes’ squad is Ajax holding midfielder Edson Alvarez in a deal worth £35m, and the club could soon splash the cash on another new signing in Maguire.
An opening £20m offer was turned down by Man United towards the end of July, but it appears as if a deal close to £40m may soon be agreed.
Football Insider shared an update regarding Maguire’s future on Tuesday afternoon, claiming that the Hammers are close to agreeing a fee for the 30-year-old.
Romano has now shared a new development, claiming that a £30m agreement in principle has been reached between the two clubs for Maguire.
How much money is Harry Maguire earning?
Maguire, currently on £200,000-a-week, made the move to Old Trafford from Leicester City back in 2019 and has made 175 appearances for the Red Devils.
The 30-year-old fell out of favour under Erik ten Hag last season, though, turning out on just 16 occasions in the Premier League. He has also been stripped of the United captaincy this summer, with Bruno Fernandes taking over the role.
Therefore, a move away could be just what Maguire needs, and he could prove to be a smart signing at the London Stadium. United teammate Luke Shaw spoke out about the criticism the central defender has faced in recent years but hailed him as an “unbelievable player”.
“I will be honest, it is a tough period at the moment. Of course Harry is an amazing player, an amazing character. He has taken a lot of stick, probably more than I have ever seen before in football but he never hides away, he is always there.
“You can have people that can hide away and not want to be in the spotlight but he keeps putting himself in the spotlight and it shows the strength and character he has got because, come on, everyone knows that he is an unbelievable player.”
Moyes currently has four centre-back options in Nayef Aguerd, Kurt Zouma, Thilo Kehrer and Angelo Ogbonna, but with the latter of the four now 35 and into the final 12 months of his contract, signing Maguire may turn out to be a smart deal, especially with European football once again on offer at the London Stadium.
