- Manchester United midfielder has not impressed
- Several clubs vying for Ugarte’s signature
- Club turned down loan offers in January
Newcastle United and Aston Villa have reportedly joined Juventus in the race for Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte. Signed from Paris Saint-Germain for €50 million (£43.5m), Ugarte arrived to be a structural fix—an anchor intended to stabilise United’s midfield.
Instead of shoring up the midfield, the Uruygyan has become a liability, and his market value has been shot. Across his 68 appearances at the club, United have won 29, drawn 17 and lost 22, an underwhelming return of 1.53 points per game.
Projected across a 38-game Premier League season, that equates to just 58 points. Despite this, Ugarte has managed to form a line of suiters, many of whom are part of European royalty.
Ugarte Exit Likely
According to SportWitness, both Aston Villa and Newcastle inquired about a loan for the midfielder in January. They were not alone.
In late January, The Athletic reported that Ajax also enquired about potentially signing Ugarte. Despite exiting both domestic cups and carrying no European commitments, United opted against sanctioning a loan move, choosing instead to retain the midfielder.
Ugarte even pushed for a loan move away, having failed to start a single match under Michael Carrick since the shift to a 4-2-3-1 system. He is on the outskirts of the first team, and his future is in major doubt.
Juventus have now also made inquiries about him. Sporting director Marco Ottolini, a long-time admirer, previously tried to sign him from Sporting CP and explored a loan move from Manchester United last summer.
The Serie A club are monitoring Ugarte, as he prepares for Uruguay’s upcoming fixture against Algeria on 31 March. Since the transfer window closed on 2 February, he’s played in just 56 minutes across eight possible games at club level.
The biggest obstacle standing in the way of Ugarte departing the club are his wages. On a base rate of £120,000 per week—which can increase to £150,000 through bonuses—it is unlikely you will get many teams willing to shell out the transfer fee, and pay the exuberant wages.
For Ugarte to depart, he would need to agree to the move. That might include accepting a significant cut from his lucrative paycheck.
Who do United Bring in?
With INEOS steering a full rebuild, it appears the 24-year-old midfielder has little future in Manchester United’s squad next season.
While he could fight for his place, interim manager Carrick has not given him sufficient minutes to make an impact.
If United can find the right suitor, they will move him on extremely swiftly.
United have already eyed targets such as Elliot Anderson, Newcastle’s own Sandro Tonali, and Adam Wharton. A significant clear-out looms. Casemiro is already set to depart, and further exits could follow as the club reshapes the core of its squad.
If United want to sweeten a deal for their transfer target Tonali, Jason Wilcox and Omar Berada could consider offering an Uruguayan-shaped box alongside cash for the Italian.
