West Ham hold talks with Manchester United for double-swoop of duo

Fulham's Brazilian midfielder Andreas Pereira (C) vies with Manchester United's Scottish midfielder Scott McTominay (L) and Manchester United's English defender Harry Maguire (R) during the English FA Cup quarter-final football match between Manchester United and Fulham at Old Trafford in Manchester, north-west England, on March 19, 2023. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

West Ham United have held talks with Manchester United over a potential double-swoop of Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay.

That’s according to Sky Sports (via Football Daily), which reports that the Red Devils are not actively considering selling the duo and if they did, it would require high transfer fees.

Maguire, 30, confirmed this summer that he would no longer be the club captain moving forward after speaking with Erik ten Hag, who has since chosen Bruno Fernandes as the most suitable option to take the armband.

The England international also now finds himself in a position where he has significantly fallen down the pecking order; Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane are the manager’s preferred pairing, while Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw have even been deployed together in central defence over Maguire.

It is believed that Ten Hag would rather keep him around as a reliable option, but whether or not this suits Maguire at this stage in his career remains to be seen.

McTominay’s future uncertain

Meanwhile, McTominay faces a similar challenge. The arrivals of Christian Eriksen and Casemiro last summer saw the Scot’s game time drop significantly, so with Mason Mount now included in the mix, it’s unlikely he’ll find himself in the starting line-up frequently.

However, with Fred expected to leave in this transfer window, the boss will need McTominay to bolster his midfield – especially if the club wants to compete on all fronts next term.