According to reports, Manchester United have shifted their attention from signing Manuel Ugarte to finding a new midfielder.

United are reportedly exploring other possibilities after declining PSG’s asking price of approximately €60 million (£51 million) for Ugarte, according to The Athletic.

Even if rumours of a transfer to Old Trafford for the Uruguayan midfielder have circulated, United will not move forward with the deal unless PSG reduces their asking price. The future of United midfielder Scott McTominay is still up in the air after Fulham increased their offer to £23 million.

After Ugarte’s move to PSG from Sporting last year, United’s pursuit of a deal with him seems doomed. United manager Erik ten Hag is in the market for a new midfielder to bolster his team.

Leny Yoro, a defender, has already joined the Red Devils after signing for £52 million from Lille.Joshua Zirkzee, a forward, has just returned from Bologna. But a foot issue has sidelined Yoro for around three months.

 

Manchester United is considering two Brazilian midfielders as possible replacements for Manuel Ugarte

After considering other options, Manchester United have decided not to pay the asking price for Manuel Ugarte, which is set by Paris Saint-Germain.

Plus, it’s a good financial move or a bad sports one, depending on your point of view. The truth, though, is likely to be somewhere in the center.

The new-look Red Devils squad, brought about by Ineos’s determination to abolish the so-called “Manchester United tax”—the practice of overpaying for numerous players—has given the club a fighting chance in the transfer market after years of being held to ransom.

It always seemed like Ugarte was a bit pricey; he was already unpopular at PSG and is further lower on the totem pole now that ex-United target Joao Neves has arrived. £51 million for a footballer who had a really rough time at another big European club before coming here.

But, for better or worse, Ugarte was also Manchester United’s primary midfield target.

Erik ten Hag and company will have to start all over in their quest to acquire much-needed midfield reinforcements if they decide to walk away now, with less than a month of the transfer market remaining and fewer than two weeks until the start of the new Premier League season.Manuel Ugarte, formerly of PSG, has been let go by Manchester United.United, according to The Athletic, will now turn their attention to other prospects.

Not many “alternatives” come to mind, though, considering the shakiness of the Youssouf Fofana ties and the expected high transfer fee for Athletic Bilbao’s Martin Zubimendi.

Nonetheless, two names are brought up by reporter Ben Jacobs.

One of them, Joao Gomes, has experience playing in the Premier League. Gomes has flourished into one of England’s most promising all-round operators in the year and a half since joining Wolverhampton Wanderers from Flamengo in his home Brazil.

Gomes was undoubtedly Wolves’ finest player in their 2023–24 season opener against Manchester United at Old Trafford. A former coach of his describes him as “among the best in the world” when it comes to ball recoveries.

According to Jacobs, United is also keeping tabs on Gomes’ Brazilian national teammate.

To recruit someone from the outside, like Andre Trindade, would be a bold move. Though he has never played a game in Europe, the 23-year-old plays for Fluminense.

United are not exactly flush with cash, but according to Jacobs, the 2023 Copa Libertadores winner Andre might be available for less than £30 million. This would make him one of the most budget-friendly midfield choices for the club.