West Ham United have not fully given up on signing Harry Maguire from Manchester United, 90min understands.
The Hammers agreed a £30m fee with United earlier in the month, offering Maguire the chance to revive his stalling Premier League career with a move to the London Stadium.
But, despite the two clubs agreeing terms after initial haggling over the payment structure, Maguire was unable to reach an agreement with United over a severance packet reflective of the huge drop in wages needed to make the move happen.
The writing appears to be on the wall for Maguire at Old Trafford though, with Victor Lindelof again the preferred option when Raphael Varane was taken off at half-time because of an injury scare during United's comeback 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
And that gave West Ham hope that a deal for Maguire can be still be worked out before the end of the window. However, the surprise Premier League table-toppers, who ended their 12-game curse against Brighton with a 3-1 win at the AMEX in Saturday's late game, may look to engage United with a loan offer, knowing that the 30-year-old may still find it difficult to agree a permanent exit.
Whether or not United are prepared to do that remains to be seen. Ten Hag has been open in his assessment of Maguire's first-team chances, saying he could earn more regular time if he puts the work in, but may feel that his former captain is needed should Varane's injury scare prove to be anything meaningful.
"For Harry, that is just how I described it. He has to fight for his place," Ten Hag said earlier in August. "He has the ability to be a top-class centre-back and he is the best for England so why shouldn’t he be the best for us — but he has to prove it."
READ MORE FROM 90MIN'S TALKING TRANSFERS TEAM
United have been targeting a raft of other centre-backs this summer but haven't come close to signing anybody on their shortlist. Bayern Munich's Benjamin Pavard was, and is, a player front and centre of the radar, but there's rival interest from Inter and any deal would probably be dependant on Maguire leaving permanently - United don't have the financial means to accommodate both.
Nice's Jean-Clair Todibo is a younger alternative valued at a similar price, while there's also been interest shown in Perr Schurrs, Jarrad Branthwaite, Edmond Tapsoba and Antonio Silva. Any potential deal would need to accelerate quickly, with less than a week to go until the transfer window closes.
From West Ham's point of view, they are off to a strong start to the season but want to ensure David Moyes is equipped with the squad he desires for another gruelling season. The Hammers will compete in the Europa League, owing to last season's Conference League success, and have strong interest in Maguire because of the tactical flexibility his signing would provide.
Maguire's leadership skills would also be another boost for West Ham, joining former Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse in supporting newly appointed Hammers skipper Kurt Zouma.
Ward-Prowse has been joined at West Ham by Edson Alvarez and Konstantinos Mavropanos to date, with Mohammed Kudus putting the finishing touches on a £38m move from Ajax. The Ghanaian has completed a medical and is expected to sign a five-year contract with the option of a further 12 months.
LISTEN NOW TO 90MIN'S TALKING TRANSFERS PODCAST
On this edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders is joined by Toby Cudworth and Graeme Bailey to discuss Mohamed Salah's huge offer from the Saudi Pro League, Liverpool's stance on a sale, Ryan Gravenberch, Matheus Nunes, Romelu Lukaku, Folarin Balogun & more!
If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!
This article was originally published on 90min as West Ham may look to revive deal for Harry Maguire.