Harry Maguire officially won’t be joining West Ham this summer, with Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag happy for the England defender to fight for his place.
The Hammers agreed a £30m fee for the defender last Wednesday as David Moyes looks to strengthen his squad after the £105m departure of Declan Rice to Arsenal earlier this summer.
Reports earlier today suggested that the Europa Conference League winners grew tired of waiting for the defender to finalise an exit from Old Trafford, with Maguire said to have wanted a pay-off of around £7m to leave the club.
Ten Hag though sees the 30-year-old as an important squad member and is happy for him to fight for his place, meaning the defender won’t be moving to the London Stadium this summer.
United were also aware that if they sold Maguire they would have had to find a replacement, which would not be so easy at this stage of the summer transfer window.
Harry Maguire will not join West Ham in a £30m move from Manchester United this summer
Erik ten Hag sees Maguire as an important squad member despite dropping him out of the starting XI and stripping him of the captain’s armband since he arrived at the club
Maguire is set to fight for his place at Old Trafford in a blow to West Ham boss David Moyes
Ten Hag wants four centre-halves to pick from and doesn’t a better replacement back-up option than Maguire.
Moyes meanwhile hasn’t ruled out a move for Maguire, but the Hammers are looking at alternative options to the England international.
The collapse of the deal comes after Mail Sport’s Transfer Confidential reported on Monday how Maguire’s move to West Ham was stagnating as United were hoping to bring in a replacement before sanctioning his departure.
Erik ten Hag’s side finished third last season which meant the 30-year-old received a significant wage increase as a result of their return to the Champions League.
The 30-year-old has had a tumultuous time at United since his record-breaking £80m move from Leicester in 2019.
He initially impressed and was appointed as club captain by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
However, in the past few years he has struggled and faced heavy criticism which culminated in him being stripped of the club captaincy earlier this summer by Ten Hag.
West Ham were set to offer the England man game-time ahead of Euro 2024 after he slipped down the pecking order at United last season, making just eight starts in the Premier League.
Against Wolves, Maguire started on the bench with regular starters Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez playing alongside each other in the heart of defence.
Ten Hag overlooked Maguire when he replaced the booked Martinez at half-time, instead bringing on Victor Lindelof.
Maguire reportedly wants a pay off of around £7m to leave United and hasn’t agreed a deal yet
Despite his lack of action at club level, Maguire remains a key figure for Gareth Southgate at international level, starting England’s last 11 games in all competitions.
However, he is likely to come under pressure for his position this season from the likes of Levi Colwill and Marc Guehi, which increases the need for him to play regularly ahead of next summer’s tournament.
Speaking in March, Maguire defended his contribution to United despite slipping down to fifth choice centre back at points during the last campaign.
He said: ‘Obviously this season, I haven’t played as much as I’d like but, for my club, I feel like my form has been good this year.
‘I know people obviously look at me not playing but when I’ve played I think in my last eight or nine starts for Manchester United we have won.
‘I can’t remember losing a game for Manchester United, it must be the third week of the season. So my influence is still there.’
Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag stripped the 30-year-old of the club captaincy earlier this summer
Maguire (second right, middle row) was an unused substitute in United’s 1-0 win over Wolves
It continues to be a frustrating summer for Moyes who has faced slow progress on his desired transfer business which has come amid clashes with technical director Tim Steidten.
They were the final Premier League club to make a signing, before eventually adding Ajax and Mexico star Edson Alvarez for £35.4m last week.
The Hammers then confirmed the signing of James Ward-Prowse for £30m on Monday, but their fans will be hoping for further reinforcements this summer.
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