Manchester United pair Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay ‘set for departures’ after failed West Ham bids
West Ham targets Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay are set to leave Manchester United at the end of the season, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Samuel Luckhurst wrote for the publication’s online edition on Tuesday [12 September] that West Ham had separate £30million bids rejected for both players in the summer transfer window.
The Hammers were linked with McTominay and especially Maguire throughout the summer, without anything coming of the speculation.
“United have an option to buy midfielder Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina for €25million when his season-long loan ends,” the report read.
“Amrabat’s arrival has possibly spelled the end for Scott McTominay’s United career and the club was prepared to sell the Scot in the summer.
“West Ham United had separate bids of £30m rejected for McTominay and Harry Maguire, both set for departures next year unless their playing prospects suddenly improve.”
Not needed
It was widely reported in the summer that West Ham had an undisclosed bid accepted by United for Maguire, only for the Hammers to then pull out of a deal due to the amount of time the defender was taking to commit to the move.
Likewise, there were plenty of reports regarding a bid being made for McTominay, who was widely considered to be a like-for-like replacement for Declan Rice following his move to Arsenal.
As it is, though, neither player made to switch from Old Trafford to the London Stadium.
And now the dust has settled on United’s transfer business, it is fair to say that supporters are hardly left wondering what might have been.
Maguire is a better defender than he is given credit for, while McTominay has continued to show for Scotland exactly what he is capable of when used correctly.
But Konstantinos Mavropanos looks a solid option for a more reasonable price than Maguire, while James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez – signed for £30m and £35m respectively – have settled in brilliantly in central midfield.
Should McTominay and Maguire indeed move on next summer, it may well be that West Ham are at the front of the queue to land them.
Until then, it is time to draw a line under this one.
In other West Ham news, a player the Hammers said goodbye to this summer has revealed the part David Moyes played in his exit.