Man Utd make 'direct contact' to sign £38m enforcer, 3.9 tackles/game last term - Fabrizio Romano

Manchester United have made direct contact with Paris Saint-Germain regarding midfielder Manuel Ugarte, according to reputed journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Red Devils are likely to reinforce their midfield department this summer with the likes of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen linked with potential summer exits.

Sofyan Amrabat could also head for the exit door after his loan spell concludes on June 30.

In an update on his YouTube channel, Romano has now revealed that there was ‘direct contact’ between United and PSG over a possible transfer deal for Ugarte.

However, there was ‘no official bid’ on the table. United also discussed on other PSG players and the two clubs have a ‘very good’ working relationship between them.

Ugarte could be seen as Casemiro’s successor

Ugarte was on United’s radar during last summer’s transfer window, but they did not make an approach.

Chelsea were in pole position to land his signature at one stage, but he eventually opted to join the French champions where he had a mixed debut campaign.

The 23-year-old had a good start to his career at Parc des Princes, but he became a regular on the bench in the back end of the season with Fabian Ruiz, Warren Zaire-Emery and Vitinha preferred in midfield.

Ugarte finished the campaign as an unused substitute on 14 occasions. The Uruguayan would surely want regular minutes during the prime of his career and this could urge him to pursue a new challenge.

In our view, he would be an ideal signing to replace Casemiro in the number six role. Ugarte won an impressive 3.9 tackles and 6.3 duels per game last term alongside 7.2 ball recoveries.

He lost possession on 7.4 occasions per outing which is not bad for a holding midfielder. In comparison, Casemiro was guilty of losing possession more than 12 times on average.

The former Sporting Lisbon man is also better with the ball at his feet. He had a passing accuracy of 91 per cent and would provide United with more control in the centre of the park.

Ugarte currently has a Transfermarkt value of £38 million, but PSG could hold out for much more. They paid £51m to sign him from Sporting and could demand the same figure.

In the present transfer market, it does not appear a huge amount for a top-class midfielder, though United may want to pay the fee over multiple seasons with their limited budget.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com