West Ham getting ‘close’ to signing Harry Maguire with McTominay deal further away
West Ham are getting “close” to agreeing a deal for Manchester United and England captain Harry Maguire, according to Sky Sports.
Reporter Melissa Reddy discussed the position of the deal on Tuesday (8 August) suggesting that the Irons pursuit of the England defender was much closer to being agreed than their attempts to secure the signature of Scott McTominay.
David Moyes’ side had launched a £60m bid for both players that was quickly knocked back by the Red Devils, but talks have continued since with the Irons desperate to make a start to their incoming business in this summer’s transfer window.
Discussing the state of both deals, Reddy said: “West Ham and United are not so far off in terms of price points for Maguire.
“Erik ten Hag has made it quite clear that he is happy to keep Maguire in his squad, but the club do not want to be obstructive to him getting more minutes elsewhere. That is close in terms of add-ons you can see the compromise of £35m being easily reached.
“West Ham are considering if they go back in for McTominay, make an improved bid. There, I think a compromise can be reached but it would be around £40m in terms of a total proposal. With McTominay I think there is more of a desire for the club to keep him.”
Maguire a go
West Ham seem to be progressing in the right direction in a deal for Maguire and that will be a relief for Moyes who looks to have finally strengthened his backline and reached an agreement for one of his preferred targets rather than one the club has earmarked.
Although he is more than capable of making mistakes and errors, he is an international defender with European experience and a set out of the limelight to the London Stadium may give him the platform to rediscover his best form.
In terms of McTominay, the fee being needed to complete the deal seems to be growing with each passing report and it is starting to feel rather extortionate for a player who is a fringe member of the Manchester United squad.
Now that the signing of Edson Alvarez seems to be all but confirmed, the Irons can afford to be a bit more picky in their pursuit of midfielders this summer and there may well be better options available for much smaller fees between now and the end of August.
In other West Ham news, the Irons have already identified two managers who could replace David Moyes