Maguire a makeweight in £100m Man Utd transfer

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 23 Jun 2023 08:15 BST
• 4 min read

Manchester United are weighing up a move to send either Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay to West Ham in a cash-plus-player deal for Declan Rice.

The club are looking to rival Arsenal’s move for the England international and feel they can pip the Gunners by offering one of their players as a makeweight, reports The Telegraph.

Arsenal’s latest bid of £90 million – £75 million plus £15 million in add-ons spread over five years was rejected by the Hammers and now Man Utd are looking to make a move.

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West Ham are admirers of McTominay and Maguire, both of which have been put up for sale by Man Utd this summer window.

Maguire’s hefty wages may be a bit of a stumbling block for the Hammers, though, with it more likely that McTominay makes the move to London.

Despite the mooted bid, the expectation remains that Rice is still far more likely to join Arsenal.

The club are looking to send out a third offer for the West Ham captain, who is reportedly Mikel Arteta’s number-one target.

Meanwhile, Man Utd would only like a deal if it can be constructed within their limited transfer budget this summer. Their ability to do summer window deals appears to be impacted by the ongoing takeover saga at the club.

It has been reported that Manchester City are also fans of Rice, but it’s not clear yet whether they would be willing to make a move for him.

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West Ham's targets

West Ham have accepted that Rice can leave this window but want to ensure they extract maximum value for him.

Maguire is also on Tottenham’s list of targets but though he is not in Erik ten Hag’s plans, there is no urgency to rush him out, though he would have to contend with less playing time again next season.

West Ham have Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse and Leicester City’s Harvey Barnes under consideration if they do receive the money for Rice.