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Fri 4 October 2024 17:00, UK

Man United chiefs were left displeased after West Ham made an “insulting” offer to buy Harry Maguire, the Irons’ former senior scout has revealed.

Mick Brown, who worked for the Hammers as a scout until departing alongside David Moyes at the end of last season, revealed exclusively to Football Insider that the Hammers submitted a £20million offer for the 31-year-old, which was swiftly rejected.

This came in the summer of 2023, when Erik ten Hag was attempting to sell all three of Maguire, Scott McTominay and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

In the end, all three remained at Old Trafford until 2024 when McTominay joined Napoli and Wan-Bissaka ultimately made his way to the London Stadium.

However, it was Maguire who the club had targeted previously, as they aimed to take advantage of United’s willingness to sell by placing a lowball bid.

The offer was described as “an insult” to United, where the centre-back remains a rotational player in Ten Hag’s struggling side.

Maguire has featured seven times so far this season, starting five of those games, but has been picked from the start just twice in the Premier League.

West Ham fail in bid to sign Man United star Harry Maguire

The Hammers were finally able to overhaul their defence following the appointment of Julen Lopetegui, with Max Kilman, Jean-Clair Todibo and Wan-Bissaka replacing Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd.

However, they had aimed to begin the overhaul with the signing of Maguire last season before their bid was turned down.

Brown, who remains well-connected at West Ham, admitted he was “astonished” by the centre-back’s situation, and had backed the Hammers’ attempts to sign him before the ownership decided on the “insult” of an offer.

“I was at West Ham last year when United were looking to sell Maguire, McTominay and Wan-Bissaka,” he told Football Insider.

“I couldn’t believe that they were doing that, and of course we were interested.

“But in their wisdom, the West Ham owners went and bid £20million for Maguire.

“It was an insulting offer to United. An insult. They were never going to get him for that price.

“They didn’t get him in the end, of course, and then they go and pay £40million for Max Kilman this year.

“I think Kilman’s a good player, but when Maguire plays, he’s consistently United’s best defender, and he always steps up and performs for England too.

“I was, and still am, astonished by the treatment he gets.“

In other news, the Hammers are prepared to see Danny Ings leave for free.

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