Manchester United have announced the signing of Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Manuel Ugarte.
The Uruguay international put pen to paper on a long-term contract at Old Trafford on Friday, finally bringing one of the summer’s longest-running transfer sagas to a close.
Ugarte’s arrival was confirmed shortly after the sale of Scott McTominay to Napoli went through.
IS MANUEL UGARTE THE RIGHT FIT FOR MAN UTD?
90min’s Jacob Culshaw and Scott Saunders are joined by French football expert and PSG fan Alexis Amsellem to discuss how Manuel Ugarte will fit in at Manchester United!
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United first identified Ugarte as one of their top midfield targets back in June but were reluctant to meet PSG’s €60m (£50.5m) asking price up front.
However, after nearly two months of negotiations, the two clubs came to an agreement on Monday night which will see United pay €50m (£42.2m) plus €10m (£8.4m) in add-ons.
A tough-tackling and energetic midfielder, Ugarte is expected to bring steel and resilience to a United midfield which was often left exposed during their up-and-down 2023/24 campaign. He has become their fifth summer signing following the purchases of Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Sekou Kone.
Ugarte will become only the third Uruguayan to represent United, following in the footsteps of legendary strikers Diego Forlan and Edinson Cavani.
The 23-year-old leaves PSG after only one season in the French capital having joined from Sporting CP in the summer of 2023. Les Parisiens fought off stiff competition from Chelsea to bring him in.
During one year at Parc des Princes, Ugarte made 37 appearances for PSG and played an important role in their run to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
Prior to his one season in Paris, Ugarte emerged as one of the game’s finest young midfielders in a two-year stint with Sporting. This came after a 12-month stint at fellow Portuguese side Famalicao and five years at boyhood club Fenix in Montevideo.