Man Utd’s Harry Maguire Transfer Saga: West Ham Deal Sealed
Manchester United has agreed to transfer their center-back, Harry Maguire, to West Ham for a reported fee of $38 million, a significant loss of $58 million from their initial investment.
As Maguire’s contract still had two years left, the negotiation included adjustments in his weekly wage from $240,000 to $150,000 to facilitate the move.
The Red Devils made the decision to part with an additional $7.6 million to address the financial gap and persuade Maguire to accept the transfer. This deal comes as Maguire had fallen out of favor, losing his starting position under manager Erik Ten Hag during the 2022-2023 season.
Bruno Fernandes, the talented midfielder, has taken over the captain’s armband, signaling a changing of the guard.
Maguire’s choice of West Ham was influenced by discussions with his fellow England national team member, Declan Rice.
West Ham, despite finishing 14th in the Premier League last season, had a successful campaign by winning the Europa Conference League, earning them a spot in this season’s Europa League alongside Liverpool and Brighton.
West Ham’s transfer activity included the acquisitions of winger Sean Moore from Cliftonville and midfielder Edson Alvarez from Ajax.
They are also pursuing central midfielders James Ward-Prowse from Southampton and Scott McTominay.
On the outbound side, West Ham sold Rice, left-back Masuaku, attacking midfielder Nikola Vlasic, and forward Gianluca Scamacca.
As of now, Manchester United has not signed a replacement for Maguire in central defense.
Although they welcomed the return of 35-year-old center-back Jonny Evans on a free transfer and secured deals with midfielder Mason Mount, goalkeeper Andre Onana, and forward Rasmus Hojlund.
The potential early sale of Maguire may expedite negotiations for defensive midfielder Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina and center-back Jean-Clair Todibo from Nice.
The summer transfer window in the English Premier League is set to close on September 1st at 11:00 PM, which leaves little time for clubs to finalize their last-minute deals.
