Manchester United still want to recoup a significant portion of the £42million they paid Paris Saint-Germain to sign Manuel Ugarte during the summer window in 2024
17:43, 16 Jun 2026Updated 17:44, 16 Jun 2026
Ruben Amorim could be reunited with Manuel Ugarte(Image: PA)
AC Milan are considering a move to rescue Manuel Ugarte from his Manchester United nightmare.
United are desperate to off-load Ugarte to the highest bidder this summer. And Italian giants Milan are weighing up a deal to reunite the Uruguayan midfielder with Ruben Amorim.
United signed Ugarte from Paris Saint Germain in 2024 in a deal costing £42m. But the midfielder has failed to make an impact with the English giants.
He has started just 30 league games in two seasons – and fell down the pecking order when Kobbie Mainoo won back his place in the team during the second half of the last campaign. And Michael Carrick has told Ugarte he is not part of his long term plans.
United have signed Brazilian midfielder Ederson from Atalanta, and are about to make a bid for West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes.
Ugarte knows he has no future at Old Trafford and has instructed his agent, Jorge Mendes, to find him a new club. Now Mendes has opened talks with Milan about a possible deal.
Amorim, who has been named Milan’s new head coach, worked with Ugarte during his successful stint at Sporting, and then again during his miserable time in the Old Trafford dugout. Much was expected of Ugarte – particularly following the arrival of Amorim – but he failed to ever justify his transfer fee.
Speaking two months before he was sacked as United boss, Amorim admitted he was working closely with Ugarte to try and get him to rediscover his best football.
Ugarte started Uruguay’s opening game at the World Cup
He said: “You can sense a lot of very good players come here, and sometimes they struggle. He is struggling at the moment but it is our job to try to help and help him to feel like I felt when he was a Sporting player.
“But it is a different world. He needs to adapt, and he needs to improve, especially in training.”
United would like to recoup a large chunk of the fee they paid for Ugarte – and are holding out for around £30m. Milan CEO Giorgio Furlani is reluctant to meet the asking price, but further talks are planned in the hope of reaching a compromise.
A positive World Cup could help United’s cause, Ugarte started Uruguay’s opener as they failed to beat Saudi Arabia. They face Cape Verde on Sunday next, before rounding off the group stage vs Spain on June 27.
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