West Ham United are on the verge of completing the signings of Manchester United defender Harry Maguire and Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse, claims Sky Sports.
The Hammers have been pursuing a deal to sign Maguire for a while and have seen a £20 million proposal rejected by the Red Devils.
In 2019, Man United forked out £80m to sign the England international from Leicester City in a deal that made him the most expensive defender in football history.
Fast forward four years and Maguire’s stock has plummeted. Man United have agreed a deal to cut ties with him for £30m – a far cry from their initial investment in the centre-back.
West Ham boss David Moyes is a huge fan of the former Leicester man despite his well-documented fall from grace at the Theatre of Dreams.
Perhaps a change of scenery will allow Maguire to rediscover his previous form that forced Man United to splash out a club record fee to land his signature.
West Ham must agree personal terms with the Englishman, but that is not expected to cause an issue. Maguire may have to take a substantial pay cut to facilitate the transfer.
The Hammers are also close to signing another one of Moyes’ long-term targets Ward-Prowse, having reached a £30m agreement with Southampton to land his signature.
They saw a similar proposal rebuffed last month, but they have tweaked the payment terms and conditions, which the Saints now consider acceptable.
Like the Maguire deal, the Hammers still have to agree personal terms with Ward-Prowse’s camp, but talks are progressing toward completion.
Reports claim Southampton still want the free-kick specialist to feature in their Championship clash against Norwich City this weekend, but West Ham are unwilling to risk the player ahead of the transfer.
Ward-Prowse is also keen to move to the London Stadium as soon as possible but would like to say goodbye to the Southampton supporters after 11 years at St Mary’s.
