West Ham United are close to signing Manchester United center back Harry Maguire.

Britain’s ‘Sky Sports’ reported on September 9 (KST), “West Ham United have reached an agreement in principle with Manchester United over the transfer of Maguire. The Hammers had a £20 million bid rejected last month, but have now agreed a £30 million deal.”

Fabrizio Romano, a journalist familiar with European soccer news, also reported that “West Ham have reached an agreement in principle with United for Maguire. The verbal agreement is in its final stages and the main structure of the deal is still under discussion, but the transfer fee has been agreed. Personal terms will be discussed shortly.”

Maguire, who began his youth career at Sheffield United, had spells at Hull City and Leicester City before arriving at Old Trafford. Maguire arrived in a United shirt in the summer of 2019 for £80 million, the highest transfer fee ever for a defender at the time. Fortunately, the transfer fee hasn’t been a burden. Maguire has started every game since his arrival, anchoring the team’s defense.

However, after UEFA Euro 2020, his form took a sharp dip. His slow pace often left him exposed in the back, and he often used his hands to defend against opponents, which led to him conceding more penalty kicks (PKs).

As a result, he has been reduced to a bench player since Ten Haag’s arrival. With new signings Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane showing good form, Maguire’s role was further reduced. Even if you include the time he missed with a hamstring injury in the middle of the season, he only made 16 league appearances. Only eight of those were starts.

He was also stripped of the captaincy. Maguire inherited the captain’s armband just six months after joining United. His appointment was controversial from the start. This is because of the weight and star power of the captaincy. The club has a long history of choosing a player who is an integral part of the team and has been a part of the club’s culture for a long time. From Bobby Charlton to Brian Robson (the club’s longest serving captain, 1982-1994), Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Wayne Rooney have all worn the armband.

Maguire’s inheritance of the captain’s armband after just six months with the team was met with a lot of criticism. However, 스포츠토토 Mourinho believed in Maguire’s leadership, and he wore the captain’s armband in the first seasons of Ralph Rangnick and Eric ten Haag after Mourinho was sacked.

However, he was eventually stripped of the captaincy. This was largely due to his diminishing influence on the team. United handed the captain’s armband to Bruno Fernandez, who succeeded Maguire. Maguire didn’t even get to wear the captain’s armband during preseason games when Bruno didn’t play.

With his position diminished, West Ham took an interest. The Hammers had received a huge injection of capital when they sold Declan Rice. The Hammers are looking to bolster their defense and have already made an offer for Maguire. West Ham offered £20 million.