Why Man Utd want €60m PSG flop Ugarte to replace Casemiro

Tom Weber

Updated: 25 Jun 2024 19:26 BST
4 min read

Manchester United's search for a Casemiro replacement has led them to Manuel Ugarte.

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The Red Devils have had an opening offer for the midfielder knocked back by PSG, according to L'Equipe. The French champions are not opposed to selling the Uruguayan, but they want to recoup a figure close to the €60 million they shelled out last year when they beat stiff competition to sign him from Sporting CP.

In 2023, Chelsea were hot on his trail and Ugarte was regarded as one of the hottest commodities in European football. 12 months on, the hype has dissipated and clubs may have doubts about spending €60m on a player with a current Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €41.8m.

Nevertheless, going for Ugarte could be sensible from Man Utd's point of view as they look to replace the ageing Casemiro, who is expected to be on the move to Saudi Arabia this summer.

Ugarte still has bags of potential

It was a strange first season in Paris for Ugarte, which has led to him being regarded as something of a flop. After all, €60m is far from a trifling sum even for a club like PSG.

Ugarte appeared to get off to a strong start to life in Ligue 1 but increasingly found himself on the outside looking in as the season went on. The 23-year-old failed to consistently win himself a place in Luis Enrique's side, though he did get on the pitch a respectable 37 times, notching three assists.

In truth, however, a lot more was expected from the big-money signing hence PSG's willingness to cut him loose after just a year. Despite this, data analytics firm SciSports believe that Ugarte still has significant potential and that he could be a shrewd pick-up by Man Utd.

© SciSports - Manuel Ugarte (yellow) vs Casemiro (red) in 2023/24

Indeed, such is Ugarte's potential that he could go on to become better than any of Man Utd's current midfielders except Kobbie Mainoo, who is thought to have an even higher ceiling.

Ugarte, of course, wouldn't come in to replace the English wonderkid but to play behind him and protect him as Mainoo is very useful going forward. The Uruguayan, who is currently at the Copa America with his country, would replace Casemiro as he is of a similar profile to the Brazilian.

If SciSports data is to be believed, Mainoo and Ugarte could go on to become a very, very good Premier League midfield, so it is no surprise that the Red Devils are interested in the PSG 'flop.' Whether they can actually afford him is, of course, a different question.