London giants move for Harry Maguire

Stuart Telford

• Updated: 18 Jul 2023 11:44 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United could offload Harry Maguire to West Ham or Tottenham Hotspur after Erik ten Hag stripped him of the club captaincy, according to reports.

Maguire fell behind Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez in the pecking order of centre-backs at Old Trafford last season, and now Erik ten Hag appears to have put the final knell in the coffin of Maguire's United career by stripping him of the captaincy.

"After discussions with the manager today he has informed me he is changing captain," read part of a statement on Maguire's Twitter. "He outlined his reasons to me and whilst I'm personally extremely disappointed, I will continue to give my all every time I wear the shirt."

READ: Man Utd SLASH Harry Maguire price tag

United need to sell before they buy more players this summer after agreeing deals for Mason Mount and Andre Onana, and whilst there is little chance they will make back the £80 million they paid Leicester for Maguire in 2019, about half that fee could secure his services.

Spurs and West Ham ready to pounce

And now two London clubs are in the running.

"Spurs are understood to have made checks on Maguire's situation ahead of a potential move later this summer," write The Daily Mail. "Maguire is an option with Tottenham well placed to move should there be a collective decision to target a swoop for the experienced defender."

READ: Chelsea considering Man Utd's Maguire in SHOCK summer move

"West Ham United have also contacted United about Harry Maguire, disgruntled by manager Erik ten Hag's decision to strip him of the captaincy," add the Manchester Evening News.

Spurs will be flush with cash if Bayern Munich meet their valuation for Harry Kane this summer, while West Ham have £105m burning a hole in their pocket following Declan Rice's transfer to Arsenal.

A host of clubs have been credited with an interest in Maguire, from Aston Villa to Inter Milan, but it appears the London pair are in the best position to make a concrete move for the England man.