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Uruguay international Manuel Ugarte has reportedly completed his medical with Manchester United, paving the way for his imminent transfer to Old Trafford. Man United’s pursuit of defensive midfielder has been ongoing throughout the summer, and on Tuesday, it was revealed that the club had finally reached an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain for the midfielder’s signature. The deal is expected to be worth £42 million, with an additional £8 million in performance-related bonuses. Additionally, PSG has secured a 10% sell-on clause as part of the agreement.
On Wednesday morning, images circulated online showing Ugarte and his representatives arriving at Carrington, United’s training ground, signalling the final stages of the transfer. German journalist Florian Plettenberg later confirmed that Ugarte had successfully passed his medical, suggesting that an official announcement could be made soon. Ugarte is set to become Manchester United’s fifth acquisition of the summer transfer window, joining a group of new signings that includes Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt, and Noussair Mazraoui. The 22-year-old defensive midfielder, who made 37 appearances for PSG, had fallen out of favour under manager Luis Enrique, creating an opportunity for United to swoop in.
Ugarte is expected to step into the squad as a replacement for Casemiro, who may see reduced playing time as United continue to strengthen their midfield options ahead of the new season. It still remains to be seen whether Ugarte will be registered for Premier League action for this coming weekend, when United will be facing Liverpool.
Manchester United will face Barnsley in the third round of the new League Cup campaign. The draw had put United to host the League One side, as they are one of the seven sides competing in UEFA competitions this autumn who joined the League Cup from this stage. Because of the new, expanded European competitions, Man United were not allowed to get Man City, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal or Tottenham as their third round rivals, due to those international obligations. United will thus face Barnsley for the first time in League Cup since 2009, when Sir Alex Ferguson’s side got a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Danny Welbeck and Michael Owen. This meeting at Old Trafford will be in the week commencing of 16 September.
While the new season is still in its infancy, we are getting closer to the first international break. This coming weekend will be the last of the initial set of club competitions, as the time will then come for several Man United players to get in action with their national sides. One of United’s players to feature in these international matches will be Noussair Mazraoui. He has been called up for the Morocco national team for the upcoming matches in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Mazraoui is one of Morocco’s best players and he will be expected to be in the starting lineup for matches against Gabon and Lesotho in early September.
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