Manchester United have completed the signing of Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth up to £50.5m.
United have paid an initial fee of £42m, but the deal could be worth as much as £50.7m (€60m) including performance-related add-ons.
Ugarte was the club’s primary midfield target throughout the window and United are understood to be happy with the deal they have struck for the midfielder.
He will not be registered in time to make his Manchester United debut on Super Sunday against rivals Liverpool, live on Sky Sports.
PSG went into negotiations wanting the £51.1m (€60m) fee they paid Sporting Lisbon last summer before bonuses, but the clubs agreed to a compromise given the willingness of all parties to get a deal done.
Sky Sports News reported Ugarte set his heart on a move to Old Trafford this summer and personal terms were never a problem in negotiations.
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Sam Tighe explained why Ugarte is the perfect fit for Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United side
PSG and United had both been keen to agree on a permanent deal, although talks also took place regarding a loan move which included an obligation to buy.
United had to sell players before a deal could move forward but the exits of Facundo Pellistri to Panathinaikos and Hannibal Mejbri to Burnley created sufficient space in Erik ten Hag’s squad for Ugarte.
The midfielder led the top flight of French football in tackles last season (98), despite only starting 21 games across the 2023/24 campaign.
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How United landed on Ugarte
Sky Sports News senior reporter Melissa Reddy:
When Manchester United’s new football leadership team and Erik ten Hag began sketching out their objectives for the summer transfer window, a key priority was fortifying the midfield by identifying a foil for Kobbie Mainoo.
Ugarte was Man Utd’s priority midfield target
The preferred target had to complement his game by possessing strengths that mask the 19-year-old’s blind spots, but also had to fit within the wider recruitment plan of raising the physical ceiling of the squad, offering a different dynamic, and being the right age profile – no signing has been over 26 under the INEOS-led operation.
Crucially, options were funnelled by players whose data and scouting analysis was similar to Casemiro.
Manuel Ugarte, a talent who was already on United’s watchlist when he was at Sporting, stood out. There, he had initially been recruited as cover for Joao Palhinha before stepping in and outperforming him.
Ruben Amorim was publicly more gutted about Ugarte’s departure – Paris Saint-Germain beat Chelsea in securing his services, than he was losing Palhinha, now at Bayern Munich, to Fulham.
Ugarte appealed to United across the majority of the metrics they tagged as most important, including the crucial availability. Sporting directors of many of Europe’s top teams regard a clean injury history as gold and the Uruguayan’s fitness record is impeccable.
Drilling down into his football attributes, his effectiveness in the press and counter-press is one of the biggest attractions to Ten Hag.
Ten Hag is a fan of Ugarte’s ability to press
He is a front-foot destroyer with excellent positioning and shielding ability, and while he does not break lines like Casemiro nor is as good in the air, Ugarte is better at ball retention, carrying, switching play and is more secure when the ball is lost.
Having signed Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui to help progress build-up play, Ten Hag doesn’t need his new midfielder to be as skilled as Casemiro on the ball. He wants Ugarte to help erase a soft centre, which his attributes lend themselves to.
The added mobility, work rate, and dynamism will be a boost to United’s midfield.
Ugarte profiles as a good partner for Mainoo as his habits of ground coverage, pressing, ball retention and recovery is not the teenager’s game.
The England international is superior in link play, is more press-resistant and better in progressing the ball. In theory, they are a balanced combination.
Ugarte was at odds with Luis Enrique’s possession-heavy approach at PSG, but was assessed by every elite team while at Sporting. His time in the French capital is viewed as a blot rather than the norm.
United have sourced a player they believe helps mitigate several weaknesses, and at a significantly lower cost than PSG had originally wanted.
Ugarte will now have to prove them right – and prove to be a bargain.
