Manchester United could end their centre-back pursuit with Harry Maguire stalling over personal terms with West Ham United.
The Red Devils recently agreed a verbal deal worth £30 million with the Hammers for Maguire, but there has been no progress over the transfer.Maguire continues to remain with the United first-team, and manager Erik ten Hag has confirmed that he will be in the squad on Monday night. The board are willing to hand Maguire a huge pay-off to accept a lower salary at West Ham, but he is not satisfied with the latter’s package.
Maguire is currently on £190,000-a-week at United. The Hammers have proposed to pay him around £120,000. This is not deemed sufficient. As a result, the Hammers have turned their focus to Bayer Leverkusen’s Odilon Kossounou which could directly hamper United’s transfer plans. United are currently on the look out for a new central defender. They have been linked with both Benjamin Pavard and Jean-Clair Todibo. It was initially claimed that manager Erik ten Hag has urged the hierarchy to pursue a deal for Pavard.
Contact has been made with Bayern Munich for the Frenchman, who can play at centre-back or right-back, but Todibo remains a realistic choice. The 23-year-old is nearly four years younger than his compatriot Pavard. Ten Hag personally spoke with him through a phone call at the start of July. Both players would be an upgrade on Maguire with their strong ball-playing abilities. The duo are also good in tackles and like to win regular duels.
However, United may not be able to pursue either player if Maguire decides to stay put. The club are aiming to sell Maguire and utilise the funds for a new centre-back. Their plans could be scuppered if the Hammers can’t convince him.
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