According to French news outlet La Parisian, any Manuel Ugarte Manchester United transfer fee will be around £51m, after the Red Devils reportedly struck an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain over the signing of the defensive midfield player.
Ugarte has been exiled from the PSG first team and was left out of their opening Ligue 1 game against Le Havre, where the Parisians won 4-1 away from home, and also missed their 6-0 thrashing of Montpellier at the Parc des Princes last Friday night. Nonetheless, it looks as if a potential deal to bring him to Old Trafford is edging ever closer, and he was reportedly on United's list of transfer targets.
The BBC adds that Ugarte could even fly into Manchester for a medical later on Tuesday, while fellow central midfielder Scott McTominay could be moving to Napoli in a separate deal worth around £25m at the same time. United will reportedly pay roughly £42m up front with another £9m in potential add-ons for Ugarte.
Erik ten Hag's team kicked off their new Premier League campaign with a 1-0 victory at home to Fulham, with new signing Joshua Zirkzee grabbing a late winner. Ugarte will be hoping for a similar impact, should the deal eventually go through as expected. However, a disappointing 2-1 defeat away to Brighton and Hove Albion last time out, with the Red Devils conceding in injury time, means the need for Ugarte is more urgent now.
Manuel Ugarte Manchester United transfer fee represents good value
Considering that reports have claimed that PSG wanted as much as £60m to sell Ugarte in this summer transfer window, United have done well to negotiate the fee down. They could also sign him on an initial loan with an obligation to buy, with the fee only appearing on next year's balance sheets, duly giving them enough room in the transfer kitty for other potential signings before the window closes.
Ugarte is only 23 years of age and has plenty of potential – and his stock has risen of late, after impressive performances with Uruguay at the Copa America. Indeed, no player in the squad won more tackles (4.2) per game than him, showing how much of a powerhouse he can be in the middle of the park.
With 32-year-old Casemiro on the decline, United need to be looking for a long-term partner for young starlet Kobbie Mainoo in midfield, and Ugarte could be just that. In their respective domestic leagues last season, Ugarte averaged more tackles, interceptions, dribbles and pass success per match than Casemiro, suggesting that he may be the better player already.
For United to play Ugarte before their next Premier League clash, which happens to be against bitter rivals Liverpool at home on Sunday afternoon, he will need to be registered by Transfer Deadline Day on Friday. At the time of writing, the deal has not gone through as of yet, but if reports are to be believed, it looks as if United will eventually get their man.
