He is the priority – Fabrizio Romano reveals Man Utd still waiting to sign 23year old player
Despite reports suggesting Manchester United had moved on to other targets, reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that the club remains keen on signing 23-year-old PSG midfielder Manuel Ugarte this summer.
Romano revealed on PlayBack that Ugarte is still the priority target for Erik ten Hag’s side, with personal terms already agreed between the player and the club. However, the transfer fee remains a stumbling block, with PSG’s asking price of €60 million proving to be a hurdle in the negotiations.
Manchester United have been linked with several midfielders this summer, including Barcelona ace Frenkie de Jong, but Romano’s comments suggest that Ugarte remains their top target. The 23-year-old struggled to feature regularly in his first season at PSG and is keen on a move to Old Trafford.
With Manchester United already adding a new striker (Joshua Zirkzee) and centre-back (Leny Yoro) to their squad this summer, the signing of Ugarte would be a significant addition to their midfield. Ten Hag’s side are set to face Manchester City in the 2024-25 Community Shield on Saturday, August 10, and the addition of Ugarte could be a major boost ahead of the new season.
Romano’s comments will come as a relief to Manchester United fans, who have been eagerly awaiting news of Ugarte’s potential signing. With the transfer window still open, it remains to be seen whether the club can agree on a fee with PSG and bring the midfielder to Old Trafford.
Omar Berrada was announced as Manchester United’s new CEO shortly after Sir Jim Ratcliffe purchased a 27.7 stake in the club to become the Red Devils’ new co-owner
Omar Berrada is the new CEO of Manchester United
Omar Berrada was appointed by Manchester United in January
New Manchester United chief executive Omar Berrada has wiped his entire X account in a bid to show he doesn’t harbour any loyalties towards bitter rivals Manchester City.
Berrada, 46, walked out of the Etihad in January to take up the top job in the Old Trafford boardroom and was finally free to get down to business last month after being put on gardening leave by the Premier League champions. United fans were quick to notice when the appointment was confirmed that the Paris-born Moroccan had not been shy in mocking the Reds in a series of tweets when he was employed by the Blues.
But Berrada has now deleted his entire cache of posts after clocking on with the Reds. One message claimed United fluked their greatest-ever achievement, with the club’s new CEO suggesting Bayern Munich deserved to beat Sir Alex Ferguson’s men in the 1999 Champions League Final when late goals by Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer clinched the Treble.
Another post retweeted a critical newspaper article of United’s fall from grace following Ferguson’s departure from the club, with the message: “How did they get into this mess?”
Berrada has yet to post a message since moving to the red side of Manchester – despite seeing his number of followers increase from just over 9,000 to more than 72,000. His X avatar now shows him wearing a United club blazer with a photograph of Old Trafford forming his banner background.
United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s admiration for City – particularly their success under Pep Guardiola – was a large part of why he chose to poach Berrada from the Etihad. United’s announcement that Berrada would be joining came rather out of the blue in January following Ratcliffe’s £1.25billion investment to acquire 27.7 per cent of the club.
Manchester City Chief Operating Officer Omar Berrada
Omar Berrada was a crucial part of Manchester City’s success
The INEOS chairman explained how United were able to swiftly snap Berrada up by comparing the situation to their protracted negotiations with Newcastle for sporting director Dan Ashworth, as the Magpies had put the ex-FA chief on gardening leave.
“We had a very grown-up conversation with City about Omar Berrada. When things got done, we sorted it out very amicably,” Ratcliffe said. “They could see why he wanted to take that challenge.
“You look at Pep and when he’s done with one of his footballers, he doesn’t want them to sit in the garden for one-and-a-half-years. He doesn’t do that. That’s not the way the UK works or the law works.”
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