Man Utd ‘confidence grows’ that transfer ‘will be concluded’ for midfielder ‘at a lower price’

Man Utd are growing increasingly confident that they can get a deal for Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Manuel Ugarte over the line, according to reports.

The Red Devils have already signed two players so far this summer with Joshua Zirkzee joining from Bologna and Leny Yoro arriving at Old Trafford from French club Lille.

Man Utd look far from done in the transfer market as Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS look to make their mark during their first window since completing a deal to buy 27.7 per cent of the Premier League club earlier this year.

There are rumours that they still want another new centre-back this summer with Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt, Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite and Benfica’s Antonio Silva all linked .

While a defensive midfielder also seems towards the top of their priority list with PSG’s Ugarte and Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat reportedly their top two targets.

Football agent and intermediary Giulio Tedeschi recently said that Amrabat – who spent last season on loan at Old Trafford – is now a “concrete possibility” for Man Utd this summer as they look to sign a midfielder.

“Right now, in my opinion there is a concrete possibility of bringing Amrabat back to Manchester United,” Tedeschi told Firenze Viola.

“In my opinion there was some doubt also because it was not known whether Ten Hag would stay. Now that it’s certain that he will stay, there are grounds to think about bringing Amrabat back even on loan with obligation, or at a lower figure. The United solution is the easiest.”

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But Football Transfers are now claiming that PSG’s Ugarte ‘remains a major target’ for Man Utd this summer and that ‘there is confidence that a deal will be concluded further down the line’.

The report adds:

‘The Red Devils are looking for a holding midfielder to play alongside Kobbie Mainoo and the Paris Saint-Germain No.6 remains seen as a top target.

‘There still remains some distance in terms of valuation. The Ligue 1 champions are holding out for €70 million for the player who signed for them just last year from Sporting CP – but, at present, Man Utd deem this to be too much.

‘PSG club sources have told us throughout the window that no offers or proposals have been made for Ugarte despite reports to the contrary. However, we understand that there is a belief that an agreement will be reached further down the window at a lower price.’

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano insists Man Utd could sign another centre-back but any potential deals for De Ligt or Branthwaite are currently stagnant.

Romano wrote in his Caught Offside column : “We keep hearing a lot about Manchester United’s targets in defence and I’ve previously reported that they could sign more than one centre-back this summer, so what’s next after their recent deal for Leny Yoro?

“The reality is that, for now, there’s still nothing more to discuss with Matthijs de Ligt’s agent as Man United already agreed on terms with the player weeks ago – there have been no fresh contacts, though they have spoken about Noussair Mazraoui, who is another client of Rafaela Pimenta. The problem is only on Bayern side as they insist on a €50m guaranteed fee, while Man United want to use add-ons as part of the deal.

“I also don’t currently have any fresh information on Jarrad Branthwaite. There are no negotiations taking place at the moment after two bids rejected by Everton from Manchester United. Everton keep insisting on a fee of £70m at least and Man United will not pay that. The only way to reactivate the deal is if Everton drop their price, and they’re not planning for that at the moment.

“It’s also important to note that the Jake O’Brien deal doesn’t necessarily mean that Branthwaite is leaving, even if there has been some speculation that he would be his replacement.”