Manchester United accept making a loss on Manuel Ugarte
Image Credits: Imago Images
Back in 2024, Manchester United paid Paris Saint-Germain an initial £42.3 million for Manuel Ugarte, convinced they were signing a long-term anchor for the base of their midfield.
The Uruguay international had built his reputation under Ruben Amorim at Sporting CP and had cost PSG around £52 million only a year earlier.
Nearly two years on, Manuel Ugarte hasn’t managed to hold down a starting role, having made just ten league starts last season, and has barely featured under Michael Carrick since January.
With the midfield in line for a reshape this summer, having lost Casemiro to Inter Miami at the end of his contract, Ugarte has become one of the names United are willing to move on.
However, his asking price has already drifted as the club weigh how much of their outlay they can realistically recoup.
Now The Sun has reported that United are prepared to accept a loss to get the deal done.
It’s understood that United would need roughly £25.38 million to break even under profitability and sustainability rules, but believe they can absorb a shortfall thanks to other recent deals.
Thanks to the £40 million Alejandro Garnacho sale to Chelsea, as a pure-profit academy exit, and a £5 million sell-on banked from Alvaro Carreras’ move from Benfica to Real Madrid, United feel they have some breathing room.
The bigger obstacle however, is Ugarte’s £120,000-a-week wage, which narrows the pool of buyers, leading to United privately accepting that he may still be at the club when the window shuts.
Should a buyer emerge, Atletico Madrid and Napoli were both reported to be leading the race in the spring, with Juventus also credited with an interest, with Aston Villa and Newcastle United having had loan approaches rejected earlier in the campaign.
A sale would clear the path for United’s own rebuild following the deal for Atalanta’s Ederson being agreed, and the club are still eyeing up West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes with terms “basically” in place.
However, for those leaving Old Trafford, whether Ugarte is among those who leave may come down to whether anyone will match both his softened valuation and his salary.
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