United now braced for considerable blow in Ugarte pursuit as his arrival was ‘contingent’ on one Red being sold

Despite spending the best part of the summer window locked in negotiations to bring him to Old Trafford, Manuel Ugarte may end up staying a Paris Saint-Germain player for the duration of the 2024/2025 campaign.

While Manchester United are still thought to be holding talks with the Ligue 1 outfit, a new update from Manchester Evening News claims Ugarte’s prospective arrival was ‘contingent’ on Scott McTominay being sold.

Of course, there remains time for his departure to materialise, but his most likely suitor, Fulham, ended their pursuit yesterday and quickly agreed a deal for United-linked Sander Berge instead.

The Cottagers had two bids rejected for McTominay, with the second believed to be in the region of £23 million.

Read more: Athletic – Some United figures ‘sense’ that their PL rivals are waiting to make a move for one Red, it’s a ‘live situation’

As such, the Scotland international will be staying at Old Trafford as things stand. The likes of Crystal Palace, Brighton and Hove Albion, Napoli, Fenerbache and Galatasaray all retain an interest, although it remains to be seen if any could match United’s £25-30m valuation.