Major Man Utd transfer breakthrough as West Ham finally reach agreement in principle to sign Harry Maguire
West Ham United have reached an agreement in principle to sign Harry Maguire from Manchester United if they can clear some final hurdles, according to reports.
Maguire has been facing an uncertain future at Man Utd after falling behind Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane in the pecking order and subsequently being replaced as club captain by Bruno Fernandes.
West Ham have established themselves as his main admirers, although the financial aspects of the deal have regularly been a sticking point.
But according to Sky Sports News, West Ham have now agreed a deal in principle with Man Utd for Maguire. They are ready to pay a fee in the region of £30million for the centre-back.
It would represent a significant loss on Man Utd’s original investment, but after his decline in fortunes seems like a reasonable figure. After all, it is an improvement on the original £20m West Ham bid that Man Utd rejected.
TEAMtalk has been informed that the £30m bid has now been accepted because West Ham upped their wage percentage offer.
However, before Maguire can complete the move, there are still some final details to resolve regarding his exit from Man Utd. Although not specified in the report, there were previous claims that the defender may want paying off by his current employers given he will likely earn a lesser salary with West Ham.
Nevertheless, he wouldn’t have too much of an issue arranging personal terms with West Ham once that hurdle is cleared.
Therefore, David Moyes’ side are now said to be ‘cautiously optimistic’ that they will be able to sign Maguire before the transfer window closes.
READ MORE: Worrying reason behind Man Utd transfer delay revealed, with Prem switch now at risk
It would bring an end to his four-year spell at Old Trafford, which has included 175 appearances across all competitions. Previously, he has played for Sheffield United, Wigan Athletic, Hull City and Leicester City.
Maguire to get more gametime by joining West Ham
Now 30 years old, Maguire remains a regular feature in England squads. However, ahead of Euro 2024, he will have to get regular gametime under his belt at club level, which is more likely to happen at West Ham than Man Utd.
The current centre-backs at Moyes’ disposal include Nayef Aguerd, Kurt Zouma, Thilo Kehrer and Angelo Ogbonna.
The Athletic is also reporting that the fee has been agreed between Man Utd and West Ham, adding that Maguire would have stayed at Old Trafford but has found the alternative option enticing with his England role in mind.
Europa League involvement is on offer at the London Stadium after West Ham won the Conference League last season.
The Hammers have also been looking at Maguire’s Man Utd teammate Scott McTominay as a potential reinforcement for their midfield. Like Maguire, he has fallen down the pecking order in his preferred position.
West Ham’s latest offer for McTominay has been rejected by Man Utd, who believe he has a higher market value than Maguire. Therefore, it’s the Sheffield-born star who is more likely than the Scotland international to join West Ham first.
