Manuel Ugarte could get dream squad number at Man Utd after becoming 'important target' for Erik ten Hag

Manchester United might just have the perfect squad numbers to offer to reported transfer target Manuel Ugarte this summer. The 23-year-old has been with Paris Saint-Germain since 2023, making 25 league appearances since then.

The defensive midfielder started 21 games for PSG last season but he could still be offloaded this summer, according to reports. According to transfer ‘insider’ Fabrizio Romano, Ugarte is an ‘important’ target for Erik ten Hag and the Red Devils this summer amid a clear need to improve the holding midfield role.

He told GiveMeSport: "New [Bayern Munich] manager Vincent Kompany is going to buy Joao Palhinha. This is also important for other clubs, including Manchester United, because we had rumours of Manuel Ugarte as a potential target for Bayern, but he was never close. The full focus of Bayern was on Joao Palhinha, but it also means for Manchester United, they have one club less in the race for Manuel Ugarte, who is now an important target."

It’s claimed PSG want to reclaim the £50.7million fee they paid to sign Ugarte from Sporting CP last summer. It’s unclear whether the Red Devils will pay that, needing to improve at a number of positions, but they might just have a clear run at the midfielder, and what’s more, they may be able to offer him his ideal squad number.

The number 4 that Ugarte has been wearing at PSG is currently free at Old Trafford with Sofyan Amrabat heading back after his loan spell, at least for now. Ugarte also wore the number 15 at former club Sporting CP, and that number is also currently available to new signings. The other number he wore earlier in his career was 20, but that one is currently taken by Diogo Dalot, who won’t be moving on any time soon after continuing to play an important role for Ten Hag last season.

Ugarte has said previously of his time at PSG: “Everything happened very quickly. I was recently in Uruguay , which is totally different, then I went to Portugal where everything was really incredible, I will always be grateful to the country and the way it received me. And now I have arrived at a very big club like PSG here in France, and the truth is that in the short time I have been there, I feel very happy. I am living a lot of experiences and I am learning a lot.”

Asked about the differences between club boss Luis Enrique and Uruguay boss Marcelo Bielsa, he responded: "In general, they agree on many things. Bielsa's style of play is more about attacking through pressure and moving forward as quickly as possible, Luis Enrique's style is more about possession of the ball. But on many points, they are similar."

United are yet to decide on whether they will keep Sofyan Amrabat, while there is uncertainty surrounding the future of fellow defensive midfielders Scott McTominay and Casemiro, with both players having been linked away earlier in the summer.