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.”