Manuel Ugarte, Manchester United’s preferred candidate, has been left out of Paris-Germain’s squad for the season opening game.
The French champions begin their Ligue 1 title defence with an away game in Le Havre on Friday evening, but will have to do without the Uruguayan international, who was not part of the 20-man travelling party.
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A possible transfer for Ugarte to Old Trafford has been tipped for consideration all summer, with the club said to have been in talks with the player for some time and reportedly agreeing personal terms last month.
However, the Red Devils remain unwilling to pay the £51 million fee the Parisians are demanding for the midfielder, who arrived in the French capital from Sporting Lisbon a year ago for a similar fee.
But recent reports from within the club could indicate that United are stepping up their efforts to sign the 23-year-old.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Ugarte had trained in practice games away from PSG’s regular lineup, alongside Danilo and Nordi Mukiele, who have been linked with departures and were also not in the squad for the game against Le Havre.
If a deal for the Uruguayan international goes through, he would be United’s fifth signing in a busy summer transfer window.
The club have strengthened their defence by signing promising 18-year-old centre-back Leny Yoro for £52 million from Lille, while Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui arrived from Bayern Munich.
Meanwhile, the talented Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee was signed in attack for a transfer fee of £36 million from the 20-time English champions.
However, the midfield is one area where Erik ten Hag’s team still needs to strengthen, as the Dutch coach is apparently keen to sign a new defensive midfielder.
Question marks remain over the long-term future of 32-year-old Casemiro, who was previously linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.
In the meantime, the club seems to be interested in getting rid of Scott McTominay, whose current contract still has a year to run. Most recently, Serie A club Napoli were in the running for the Scottish international.
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All of this suggests that Ugarte could well be the solution to United’s midfield problem. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano reports that the Uruguayan is keen to make the transfer happen.
The player appeared in 37 games across all competitions in his debut season at the Parc des Princes, winning both the Ligue 1 title and the Coupe de France.
Despite only starting on 21 of those occasions, Ugarte tops the list of Ligue 1 players with the most tackles in the 2023/24 season, meaning he is likely to give the Red Devils some much-needed toughness in midfield.
Before joining PSG, he played 56 times for Sporting over two years and won the Portuguese League Cup in 2022.
Agarte has also won 22 caps for Uruguay since making his senior debut in 2021 and was a regular feature as his country finished third at this summer’s Copa America.