- 21 minutes ago
The truth on Harry Maguire’s West Ham transfer
Harry Maguire has revealed the reasons why his summer transfer to West Ham collapsed.
Maguire was transfer listed by Man Utd this past summer after falling well down the pecking order at Old Trafford.
West Ham had a bid of around £30 million for Maguire reportedly accepted in August, having fallen short with their opening bid.
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But the move then collapsed, with Maguire’s salary requests blamed for the failure to complete a deal.
Maguire has now tried to clear up why he didn’t leave United to join West Ham.
What did Maguire say about West Ham?
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"The actual opportunity to go to West Ham, it wasn't agreed really between both clubs and myself,” Maguire said.
“So it wasn't just my chance to say 'yes' and I'm going. It wasn't agreed between both clubs.
“The actual opportunity wasn't there because we didn't get far enough down the line with it, but West Ham is a massive club. My full focus is still on Manchester United.
“I want to fight for my place, but of course game time is really important to me."
Maguire has endured two miserable past years for Man Utd, ever since Euro 2020.
After an error-prone 2021-22 season, he finally lost his place in the first team during the 2022-23 campaign as manager Erik ten Hag preferred Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez as his centre back pairing.
Maguire also started the current season down the pecking order but an injury crisis has seen him gain more playing time recently.
Maguire joined Man Utd from Leicester in a world record deal for a defender in 2019.
He has made 179 appearances and scored seven goals.