West Ham United are ready to move for Manchester United defender Harry Maguire after selling Declan Rice.
The Hammers have finally confirmed Rice’s departure – though they didn’t even name his new club in their statement.
Rice has joined Arsenal in a huge £105million deal although West Ham’s refusal to name them suggests there could be some bad blood.
West Ham will now turn their attention towards signing players with their cash windfall, even if they of course won’t receive it all in one go.
Replacement midfielders have been linked but the latest rumour suggests that a centre back is a top priority.
Sky Sports claim that West Ham want Manchester United defender Harry Maguire and are exploring both loan and permanent deals for him.
Other options are in the mix, such as Torino’s Perr Schuurs, Bayer Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah and Real Betis ace Luiz Felipe.
The Telegraph add that West Ham are ‘ready to test Maguire’s resolve’ to stay at Old Trafford by offering a move to East London.
West Ham should appeal to Harry Maguire
The Telegraph’s report suggests that Maguire is happy at United and believes that he can get back into the team.
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That seems very unlikely as even if Raphael Varane or Lisandro Martinez weren’t available, Erik ten Hag would probably call upon Victor Lindelof over Maguire.
The England international has just been stripped of the Manchester United captaincy, with the defender announcing via Instagram he is ‘extremely disappointed’.
Euro 2024 is on the horizon and Maguire needs to be playing – something which is unlikely to come at Old Trafford.
West Ham can off that opportunity whilst also giving Maguire European football after winning the Europa Conference League.
Accepting that his United career is over won’t be easy but Maguire is better off getting out there and playing rather than sitting on the United bench.
David Moyes’ past comments on Maguire come into focus
West Ham’s interest means we could finally see Maguire play under David Moyes after all.
Moyes admitted to TalkSPORT in 2019 that he had tracked Maguire during his time at United boss.
Moyes noted that he saw Maguire in action against Preston North End and was interested in him, but felt he was ‘really big’.
The Scot had concerns about Maguire’s size at the time but noted that he has been in ‘terrific shape’ over the years.
We could finally see Moyes pounce for Maguire and attempt to help him get his career back on track after a tricky time with United.