Manchester United have finally agreed a deal to sign Paris Saint-Germain enforcer Manuel Ugarte for €50m plus €10m in add-ons.
Paris Saint-Germain wanted a €60m fixed fee for the Uruguay international, but Manchester United—led by INEOS—have negotiated a lower fee, with add-ons subject to performance and trophies. The Red Devils had made Manuel Ugarte their summer transfer window’s No.1 midfield target, and should he pass the medical tests on Tuesday, he will become Erik ten Hag’s fifth summer signing after the acquisitions of Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.
The 23-year-old arrived at PSG amid a lot of fanfare from Sporting CP, where he starred in midfield across two seasons. After initially starting well in PSG colours, Ugarte became a squad rotational option for Luis Enrique. He eventually managed just 25 league appearances as Enrique’s side lifted the Ligue 1 title.
The defensive midfielder was among the best players in Copa America earlier this summer and was named in the team of the tournament. Man United reportedly view Ugarte as one of the game’s best midfielders with peak years ahead of him.
Scott McTominay off to Napoli
Simultaneously, Scott McTominay is close to leaving Man United. The academy graduate has reached an agreement in principle on personal terms with Napoli ahead of his proposed €30m transfer.
The Red Devils were reluctant to let McTominay leave this summer, but Erik ten Hag could not guarantee the player a regular starting berth he craved. The Scot’s potential sale will be counted as a pure profit in the club’s accounts due to him being an academy product, which should help fulfil the Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules.
The 27-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Fulham earlier this month. Man United rejected a couple of bids from Fulham, and after a move to Craven Cottage didn’t materialise, McTominay has decided to join Antonio Conte’s forces at Napoli. The central midfielder scored 10 times across all competitions last season—including seven in the Premier League as Ten Hag’s men finished eighth in the table.
The Lancaster-born talent is set to end his 22-year-old association with the Mancunian giants, having joined the club at the age of five. He leaves the club after amassing over 250 first-team appearances, scoring 29 goals and registering eight assists as well as winning the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
