Hull City have upped the stakes once again in their race to sign England under-21 defender Harry Maguire from League One side Sheffield United.
Steve Bruce’s Tigers are set to slam a THIRD offer on the table for the 21-year-old after being snubbed TWICE by the Blades over their first and second bids of £1.5m and £1.75m respectively.
With FA Cup runners-up Hull set to kick of their Europa League campaign in two weeks’ time, Bruce is desperate to make the necessary reinforcements to the side and has decided League One star Maguire ticks all the boxes defensively.
With an optimistic approach and a figure of £2m in mind, Bruce has made his intentions clear that he will not give up his pursuit of the player.
“We like him,” he told the Hull Daily Mail.
“We tabled a bid which was rejected. I think we’ll revisit it.
“We’ve watched him a lot over the last year and he’s someone we’ve got an interest in. Let’s see if we can get a deal done.”
Sheffield United are adamant they will not shift Maguire off their books unless they are compensated massively, having dug in their heels and informed the Tigers they will not allow their highly-prized centre-back to leave for any less than £4m.
To slap a £4m price tag on a player in the third tier of football is rarely heard of and serves as an indication of how highly Maguire is rated in League One. He is fast-becoming hot property, with Championship side Wolves also reported to be in talks with the Blades over a deal for their defender.
So, whether Maguire will play in League One, the Championship or amongst the elite top twenty of the Premier League next season, remains to be seen.