Robbie Savage names reason West Ham might have to wait to sign Manchester United ace Harry Maguire
Manchester United should avoid selling centre-back Harry Maguire to West Ham until they have a replacement lined up, according to Robbie Savage.
As reported by The Telegraph (13 August) the Hammers are confident of wrapping up a deal for the England international after seeing a £30million bid accepted.
The Guardian journalist Jacob Steinberg reported on Monday (14 August) that personal terms have now been agreed between Maguire and West Ham, but the 30-year-old is still negotiating a payoff with the Red Devils.
According to Sky Sports News (13 August), talks are ongoing between Bayern Munich and Manchester United for the transfer of Benjamin Pavard, although a transfer will only occur if Maguire leaves.
However, BBC pundit Savage believes that the Red Devils should hold off from selling Maguire right now as he doesn’t believe Pavard is the right replacement.
“Harry Maguire heavily linked to West Ham United; Manchester United, if he goes, heavily linked with Pavard,” Savage told TEAMtalk (14 August).
“Pavard is more of a right-sided player. I just think in the transfer negotiations, if they are happening between Harry Maguire and Manchester United and West Ham, I don’t think Manchester United can let Harry Maguire go right now unless they’ve got a specialised centre-half lined up.”
Tick tock
Both clubs will be hoping that this transfer saga is wrapped up sooner rather than later with the Premier League season already up and running.
Maguire needs first-team football and West Ham need a centre-back, so a move makes sense for everyone involved. Regaining his place under Erik ten Hag seems unlikely and a transfer away is therefore the best thing for his career.
Although Savage is spot on in suggesting that Pavard might not be the right fit to replace Maguire at Manchester United. The France international is more of a right-back and won’t provide the same qualities that Maguire offers.
However, while it is not a direct replacement, it is still a quality defensive move and it would unlock a transfer for West Ham, which is just as important. In this scenario, there would be no losers.
Now it is about getting the deal across the line so both clubs can focus on the season ahead.
In other West Ham news, the club have opened talks to sign a potential Lucas Paqueta replacement.