Man Utd drop interest in top target Manuel Ugarte - Ornstein

Tom Weber

• Updated: 6 Aug 2024 09:22 BST
• 3 min read

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Manchester United have ended their pursuit of Manuel Ugarte, according to David Ornstein.

The Red Devils are in the market for a defensive midfielder to succeed the ageing Casemiro. Though talk surrounding the Brazilian's future has cooled in recent weeks, it is still possible that the veteran could depart.

Either way, Casemiro showed his age last season and Erik ten Hag is keen to add someone more capable of covering ground this summer. The player identified as the top target for that role had been Manuel Ugarte.

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The Uruguayan is coming off a difficult first season at PSG and the French giants are prepared to let him go if they can manage to recoup the €60 million they paid for him last year.

There had been a hope that the Parisians would soften their stance following the €70m acquisition of Joao Neves, but that does not appear to case.

Man Utd drop interest

According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, this has now led to Man Utd dropping their interest in the 23-year-old. The Red Devils have been baulking at PSG's asking price and the Ligue 1 champions have shown no desire to reduce their demands.

Ornstein reports that there is a significant gap in the valuation of Ugarte at Man Utd and PSG and the former have now decided to move on to different targets, though he did not mention who those targets are.

FootballTransfers understands that Wolves star Joao Gomes is still high on the list of potential midfield options.

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There is still a chance for Man Utd to return to the negotiating table, but it depends entirely on PSG. Should they decide to lower his price tag, the Manchester giants would be prepared to reignite their interest.

As things stand, however, Man Utd are looking elsewhere for a new midfielder. New co-owners INEOS are trying to get business done quickly and are not prepared to spend the entire window chasing their top targets.

Ugarte was keen on the move to Old Trafford and was said to be 'patiently waiting' for United, but he will now have to forget about that particular transfer.