OFFICIAL: Man Utd complete Manuel Ugarte transfer

Tom Weber

• Updated: 30 Aug 2024 15:44 CDT
• 4 min read

Manchester United have officially signed Manuel Ugarte.

The Red Devils' longest transfer saga of the summer has at last come to a satisfactory conclusion. Man Utd have finally managed to get their hands on top midfield target Ugarte after chasing the Uruguay international for months.

With the window drawing to a close, PSG softened their stance on the 23-year-old and accepted the Manchester giants' offer of €50 million upfront with a potential €10m in bonuses. Originally, PSG had wanted €60m guaranteed - the fee they paid Sporting CP for him last summer - which led to talk of an initial loan move.

In the end, however, Man Utd have managed to secure Ugarte on a permanent transfer, while PSG retain a small sell-on percentage. The midfielder has penned a long-term contract at Old Trafford.

MORE ON UGARTE TO MAN UTD:

• How Man Utd will line up with Manuel Ugarte
• Winners and losers of Manuel Ugarte joining Man Utd
• What Man Utd fans can expect from Manuel Ugarte

Ten Hag gets his man

Ugarte had been Man Utd's priority target ever since they managed to strike deals for Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui. However, talks with PSG proved difficult due to their hefty asking price.

Man Utd needed to sell to be able to afford a move for Ugarte and the situation was finally unlocked when it became clear that midfielders Hannibal Mejbri and Scott McTominay would be moving to Burnley and Napoli, respectively.

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Current ETV

Manuel Ugarte

M, DM (C)

PSG

Manuel Ugarte

M, DM (C)

PSG

€41M

ETV Range

€30.7M - €51.2M

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Coach Erik ten Hag has been chasing a defensive midfielder for a year. Last season, Sofyan Amrabat was supposed to establish himself as the long-term replacement for Casemiro, but he failed to have much of an impact.

Given the outlay on Ugarte, the Dutchman will be hoping that it is a different story this time around. Ten Hag's transition-heavy style of play requires a holding midfielder who can cover a lot of ground and this is exactly what Ugarte is.

The Uruguay international is not particularly fancy in the build-up, but he runs and wins the ball back. This is the profile Ten Hag had wanted. It remains to be seen whether this is enough to take Man Utd to the next level, however.