In addition to Manchester United and another English club whose name has not been leaked, Bayern Munich is also interested in Manuel Ugarte, whom PSG will not retain this summer in the event of a good offer.
Despite a disappointing first season at PSG, during which he lost his place after starting well, Manuel Ugarte is the subject of much interest in Europe. The 23-year-old Uruguayan international, a starter at the start of the Copa América, is notably courted by Manchester United, who are looking for a successor to Casemiro, who is leaving with two years to go on his contract.
On Tuesday, L’Equipe revealed that PSG had rejected an initial offer from Manchester United for Ugarte, but according to the Daily Telegraph, the English club have not yet made a formal offer and at this stage there has only been exploratory discussions. “It appears that PSG’s asking price for the 23-year-old Uruguayan is higher than what United are currently prepared to pay”however, notes this source.
Ugarte, Bayern’s plan B in the middle?
But Manchester United is not the only big club interested in the Parisian defensive midfielder. Last month, Italian clubs as well as Atlético Madrid were also associated with Ugarte. According to L’Equipe, another English club whose name has not been filtered is thinking of him, as well as a German club. This German club is Bayern Munich according to English-speaking journalist Ben Jacobs.
Already interested in Xavi Simons to strengthen their attack, Bayern Munich is also targeting a defensive midfielder this summer and their priority is João Straw, the Portuguese international from Fulham. But for the moment, Bayern is offering €47 million to the Cottagers, who find this amount too low. Manuel Ugarte (PSG) as well as Amadou Drunk (Everton) would be the two alternatives explored by the German club.
As explained yesterday, PSG has already written off €12 million on the transfer of Ugarte, recruited from Sporting CP a year ago against €60 million, and any offer lower than €48 million would generate an accounting loss for the Parisian club, who will probably demand a sum close to this amount to let go of his player this summer.
