West Ham United are targeting a move for Manchester United defender Harry Maguire following their record sale of Declan Rice to Arsenal, The Telegraph report.
The east London outfit recently sold Rice to the Gunners for £100 million plus £5m in add-ons. They are now expected to focus on signings of their own.
The Telegraph report that the Hammers have an interest in Maguire, and they are prepared to test his resolve to stay and fight for a place at United.
The 30-year-old fell out-of-favour under manager Erik ten Hag last season, but he is still happy at the club and believes he can break back into the team.
However, David Moyes’ side are hoping to lure him to the English capital, though they would prefer a loan deal over a permanent transfer at this stage.
United should offload Maguire on a permanent deal
Maguire started last season alongside Lisandro Martinez in central defence, but was dropped to the bench after the club’s defeats to Brighton and Brentford.
He made only 14 more starts during the remainder of the campaign.
With Ten Hag favouring a right and left-footed combination, left-back Luke Shaw made 11 starts at the heart of the defence last term while Maguire was on the bench.
This is a clear indication that he does not feature in the long-term plans of Ten Hag.
West Ham are currently exploring a loan deal for Maguire, and this could be due to his high wages.
The England star is presently on £190,000-a-week. United may need to hand Maguire a huge pay-off to convince him over a permanent transfer with a pay-cut.
They currently value him at around £30 million. This appears a good price for his ability. United could step up their interest in Axel Disasi as soon as Maguire leaves.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
