Having signed a striker and a centre-back, Manchester United are currently eyeing midfield reinforcements but their chase for Manuel Ugarte has been far from easy.
The Uruguayan is reportedly the top defensive midfield target but so far, United’s offers have fallen short of Paris Saint-Germain’s demands.
The 2024 Copa America star is keen to join the Old Trafford side and has agreed personal terms as well. But PSG are adamant that they will not agree to a cut-price exit.
United need to pull off several sales in order to cough up the kind of money being demanded by the Parisian outfit while a loan approach is unlikely to be entertained.
Ugarte deal far from close
With the Ligue 1 side refusing to bow down to United, the Red Devils could be forced to look at alternatives with Sofyan Amrabat and Adrien Rabiot reportedly being looked at in case the 23-year-old cannot be signed.
Football Transfers have now claimed that the 20-time English league champions could come back in for Sporting Lisbon’s Morten Hjulmand, a name frequently linked with United earlier in the window.
United had scouted the Dane extensively and were contemplating making a move but for Sporting coach Ruben Amorim to announce that the player would not be sold for below his release clause which stands at €80 million.
United had to give up the chase for the 25-year-old who dreams of playing in England but the player seems to back in the reckoning should Ugarte’s valuation not come down. His positional awareness and ability with the ball are appreciated by the English giants.
“Morten Hjulmand of Sporting Lisbon is under consideration by Manchester United, FootballTransfers has been told.
United considering Hjulmand
“Club sources at Paris Saint-Germain inform us that no offers or proposals have been made for Manuel Ugarte despite reports to the contrary, and ultimately the Premier League giants are currently unwilling to match their €70 million asking price.
“Hjulmand is thought to be less aggressive than Ugarte and there is an appreciation of his good positional discipline and his experience working in a possession-based side.”
His current market value stands at €40 million and Sporting are unlikely to do business around that ballpark figure. Considering his exploits in the Euro where he scored against the Three Lions, he might end up costing more than Ugarte at this rate.
Youssouf Fofana of Monaco is the least expensive option on the table while there seems to be a growing possibility that Amrabat returns to play in red on a cut-price fee.
Want to be the first to hear breaking Man United news? For carefully selected, crucial updates, join our WhatsApp channel: https://bit.ly/United-Breaking-News.
