West Ham United are refusing to give up in their pursuit of Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, with the club gearing up to submit a fresh bid of for the player this summer.
Maguire has long been a target for West Ham, with David Moyes attempting to lure him to the club last summer. As relayed by The Peoples Person, the London-based club sought to lure Maguire away from Old Trafford with a £30 million bid.
This came after Man United rejected a £20 million bid for Maguire earlier in the transfer window.
After West Ham’s second bid was unsuccessful, they reportedly looked to make a last-minute attempt at luring Maguire to the London Stadium with an audacious loan offer, only for United to reject them again.
A few days later, the United centre-back broke his silence on the transfer debacle, explaining why the deal fell through. “We just didn’t come to an agreement. Man Utd were happy for me to stay and I was happy to fight for my place,” he explained.
Maguire’s potential departure from United would not have come as a surprise to the club’s fanbase, particularly since he was stripped of the club captaincy while losing his place in the starting XI following the arrival of manager Erik ten Hag.
In fact, the England international fell so far out of favour with Ten Hag that reports claimed that United would pay Maguire in order to get him to leave the club.
This season, however, Maguire has been heavily relied upon in the midst of the club’s extensive injury crisis, with Ten Hag breathing a sigh of relief that the the defender ultimately chose to remain at United.
Still, even with Maguire returning to the fold, Moyes is refusing to give up on the prospect of bringing the defender to West Ham.
The Sun has reported that the Hammers are now preparing a £15 million bid for Maguire this summer.
While half the value of their previously rejected bid, West Ham may be hoping to take advantage of Maguire’s contract situation.
Already 31 years of age, Maguire has one year left on his current contract. While United do have an option to extend his contract by a season, the club may decide against keeping the ageing star at Old Trafford given their pursuit of younger alternatives such as Jean-Clair Todibo.
Regardless of whether United decide to part ways with Maguire, this season has proven that the club will need to have sufficient defensive depth in order to be ready to face an unprecedented injury crisis.
