The clubs were already in agreement, but Harry Maguire is apparently not moving to West Ham. Does this mean Benjamin Pavard’s Manchester United dream has been dashed?
With just over two weeks left in the summer transfer window, West Ham United could still make a few moves, but it seems that Harry Maguire is no longer on the agenda. According to numerous English media reports, the supposedly imminent transfer of the centre-back from Manchester United to the Hammers has fallen through.
Both clubs had already agreed on a transfer fee, reportedly around 35 million euros, as had Maguire and West Ham on a contract. But then the Londoners reportedly backed away from the deal – allegedly because they didn’t want to wait any longer for Maguire and United to agree a severance package, which didn’t appear to be on the cards.
While West Ham are now looking for alternatives, ManUnited may no longer be doing just that: with Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelöf and Maguire, coach Erik ten Hag has the desired number of centre-backs at his disposal – and without the Maguire transfer fee factored in, the financial options are also limited.
So it is quite possible that Benjamin Pavard will have to bury his dream of moving to Old Trafford, at least for the time being – this is also reported by “Sky Sports” in England. The Bayern defender, whose contract expires in the summer of 2024, already had an offer from the Red Devils. It is doubtful that the Red Devils will find another buyer for Maguire by September 1.
Maguire still number four for ten Hag
At the same time, the situation of the 30-year-old remains difficult. Having already fallen behind in pre-season and been increasingly met with gloating on social media, another low blow had followed this summer: Ten Hag took away his captain’s armband, which Bruno Fernandes will wear from now on.
In addition, Maguire, who is no longer the world’s most expensive defender since Josko Gvardiol’s 90-million-euro move from RB Leipzig to Manchester City, must also fear for his place in the England national team with a view to the 2024 European Championships, even though he was still a starter under coach Gareth Southgate. Ten Hag, on the other hand, already let it be known in the Premier League opener that Maguire is still only his fourth choice: when Varane’s sidekick Martinez had to come off at the break against Wolverhampton (1-0), Lindelöf came on.