West Ham have hijacked Man Utd’s proposed move for Noussair Mazraoui after agreeing a deal with Bayern Munich to sign the talented defender, according to Sky Sport Germany’s Florian Plettenberg.
As per the transfer guru, the Hammers have reached an agreement worth a fixed transfer fee of £13 million with £3 million payable subject to the fulfilment of add-ons, making the deal worth up to £16m.
The journalist adds that there is also a ‘verbal agreement in principle’ between West Ham and the Moroccan international. The finer financial details of the deal are yet to be clarified but all parties are working towards reaching a resolution soon.
If the deal goes through, Mazraoui will be the first major signing of the Julen Lopetegui era at the London Stadium and it is not hard to see why the manager would want to bring in a right-back.
Vladimir Coufal is on the wrong side of his 30s and needed to be replaced sooner rather than later. Mazraoui is a terrific option as he is just 26 years of age and will come in from a club with a winning pedigree like that of Bayern Munich, having also been very successful at Ajax Amsterdam earlier on.
West Ham will be happy to have agreed on a transfer fee for the defender for a reasonable sum though details regarding the salary he will receive in England are yet to emerge.
Man United miss out
Manchester United are set to miss out on Mazraoui to West Ham. The Red Devils were keen on signing the full-back but needed to sell first before they could complete any deal.
United have already spent over £75 million on Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro this summer without making a single noteworthy sale, so they need to offload some players before they can afford another new signing.
Mazraoui’s transfer to London is now advanced so it appears highly unlikely Man Utd will be able to derail it at this stage. He will also be guaranteed a starting role at West Ham with Coufal’s age in mind but that may not have been the case at Manchester United, where Mazraoui would have competed with Diogo Dalot.
The Hammers are building an exciting team following David Moyes’ departure with Mazraoui being a statement signing. As for United, it remains to be seen which other options they assess over the coming weeks.
