Manchester United will be doing their utmost to get Manuel Ugarte’s transfer over the line in time for Sunday’s clash with Liverpool.
The midfielder is in Manchester today to undergo his medical after flying in from Paris late on Tuesday evening. It’s thought that he arrived at Manchester Airport just before 10pm to finalise his move.
United and Paris Saint-Germain had been locked in negotiations for around two months but only reached a breakthrough at the beginning of the week, with the Ligue 1 champions eventually softening their firm stance on his £51 million price tag.
Unwilling to take a hit on what they forked out for him a year ago, PSG had informed the Red Devils that they would have to pay the same amount this summer – despite Luis Enrique utilising Ugarte sporadically in 2023/2024.
Yet, a new round of talks led to the clubs settling on a fixed fee of £42m plus £8.4m in performance-based add-ons.
Read more: Erik ten Hag ‘opposed’ one United transfer this summer – but INEOS pushed for deal anyway
Ugarte could make debut vs Liverpool
Should Erik ten Hag want to include the Uruguayan in his matchday squad this weekend, United will have to register his signing by midday on Friday, giving them just under 48 hours to submit the necessary paperwork to the Premier League.
Once he’s put pen to paper on his contract, Ugarte will become the club’s fifth signing of the summer, taking their spending past the £200m mark.