The bold Man Utd & Sunderland January transfer swap deal which could involve a £51.5m signingplaceholder image
The bold Man Utd & Sunderland January transfer swap deal which could involve a £51.5m signing | Getty Images
Manchester United have the chance to freshen up their ranks with some reinforcements before the end of the January transfer window - could a Sunderland player be the answer?
Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu got their goals in a 2-0 win over old rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford, but with the North West outfit sat in fifth place after 22 fixtures and still a point behind Liverpool in fourth, there is still work to be done to improve the squad. They are back in action this weekend with an away trip to Arsenal - could their squad look different by kick-off?
Manchester United could propose a swap deal for Sunderland’s Noah Sadiki
As per a report by GiveMeSport, United are interested in Sunderland ace Noah Sadiki this winter and could use Manuel Ugarte as part of a swap deal to try and land the player. The Black Cats signed the 21-year-old last summer following their promotion from the Championship and he has caught the eye with a string of impressive performances before he headed off to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Sadiki, who is a DR Congo international with 17 caps to his name, and has cut an impressive figure at the Stadium of Light. He has become one of the North East club’s most prized assets and they could face a battle to keep hold of him down the line amid expected attention from elsewhere. He is under contract until June 2030 so there is no immediate pressure to cash in on him just yet, but there is increasing evidence of attention from sides like Manchester United.
The Brussels-born man has made 17 appearances for Sunderland in all competitions this season, 16 of which have come in the league. He looks to have a bright future ahead of him in the game and has adapted well to life in England. The Anderlecht academy graduate spent two years at Union Saint-Gilloise before his move to his current team and he hasn’t looked back since, quickly becoming a key player on Wearside.
Would Manchester United’s Ugarte suit Sunderland?
According to that GiveMeSport report, United may sacrifice Ugarte in an attempt to snatch Sadiki away from Sunderland. They snapped up the 24-year-old back in 2024 for a hefty £51.5million but his move from PSG hasn’t really gone according to plan. He has found it hard to settle in and hasn’t been able to make the impact he would have hoped to.
The Red Devils snapped him up to bolster their midfield department and while he provides them with competition and depth in the middle of the park, he has never established himself as a key starter under successive managers. The Uruguay international has played 63 matches for them to date and has found the net on two occasions, but has slid down the pecking order and could be used as a makeweight in a future deal if GiveMeSport are to be believed.
Although Sunderland won’t want to sell Sadiki right now, especially to a team in the same league, getting someone like Ugarte could be a solid move by the Black Cats and could inject more quality into Regis Le Bris’ starting XI. In addition, he would provide them with something different to what they already have at their disposal.
Ugarte rose up through the ranks at Fenix in his native country and broke into their first-team as a youngster. He then moved over to Europe and had stints in Portugal at Famalicao and Sporting Lisbon. PSG came calling in 2023 before United lured him in - but he is now in limbo, a player struggling to live up to the potential he demonstrated with Sporting. Perhaps a fresh start could help - if Sunderland wanted him to replace one of their most impressive young players.
Continue Reading