Man Utd Transfer News Today: Mazraoui DONE, De Ligt NEW BID, Real Madrid wonderkid EYED, Ugarte WAIT

Tom Weber

• Updated: 3 Aug 2024 14:34 BST
• 5 min read

All the latest Manchester United transfer news on August 3, including updates on Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt and Manuel Ugarte.

The Red Devils' busy summer continues as they remain locked in talks with Bayern Munich over defensive pair Mazraoui and De Ligt. On Friday, it was revealed that Man Utd had a double offer knocked back by the Bavarians.

However, Man Utd are still expected to return with fresh bids and there is particular confidence regarding a deal for Mazraoui. West Ham are on the verge of completing several signings and will then proceed with their pursuit of Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

The right-back's departure will unlock Man Utd's signing of Mazraoui, with the deal pretty much wrapped up already, according to the latest reports. In fact, it has been claimed that the Moroccan has been granted permission by Bayern to leave their tour of South Korea to fly to Manchester for his medical.

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New De Ligt bid expected

Regarding De Ligt, Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Man Utd will still try to complete his signing despite his significantly heftier price tag compared to his Bayern teammate Mazraoui. The Germans want at least €50 million, which is a fee Man Utd likely won't be able to muster without a major sale.

“Man Utd want to bring in one more centre-back, even after the Leny Yoro deal. The name has always been Matthijs de Ligt," Romano said. “In recent days, United had the green light from Noussair Mazraoui, five-year contract, one-year option, and the green light from De Ligt, again a five-year contract, one-year option."

"Everything is agreed with the players. They want to go to Man Utd. De Ligt has been waiting since June...It’s true they had a bid for both players rejected, but Man Utd are still there. They’ll work again on the double deal. It could be separate or it could be joint, but they’ll bid again."

“They are both represented by the same important agent, Rafaela Pimenta, so it’s crucial to say that for Man Utd, the deal is considered still on. Bayern are asking for €50m because they want to sign Jonathan Tah to replace De Ligt, and the expectation of all parties is for Bayern to sign Tah and then United to sign De Ligt and Mazraoui."

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Ugarte patiently waiting

Romano also dropped a brief update on the situation of Manuel Ugarte, insisting that the PSG midfielder is 'patiently waiting' for Man Utd to proceed with his signing.

Ugarte has consented to an Old Trafford switch but little in the way of a concrete offer has so far materialised. Again, Man Utd will likely have to sell a big name before they can finalise the move.

Hopes that PSG could lower their €70m asking price after signing Joao Neves have thus far been frustrated. “Manuel Ugarte is also patiently waiting for Manchester United since two weeks ago, when he agreed personal terms,” Romano said.

Alternative defensive target?

Intriguingly, Man Utd are also being linked with an entirely new defender by Spanish media. AS reports that the Red Devils are among the clubs to have taken an interest in Real Madrid wonderkid Joan Martinez.

The centre-back has been compared to Sergio Ramos and is one of the most highly-rated youngsters in the Los Blancos setup. The 16-year-old has featured for the senior team in pre-season and has been earmarked as a potential first-team player for the upcoming season.

However, regardless of whether Man Utd are actually interested or not, Martinez would not be an immediate recruit. The teenager can only move to England upon turning 18 next year.