Galatasaray plot shock move for Man Utd midfielder in £21.8m switch | OneFootball

Galatasaray are said to be preparing a £21.8million package for the summer transfer of Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte after loaning him in in January.

Ruben Amorim has made it clear who his favourites are in the midfield. Generally playing a 3-4-2-1 formation, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes are the two men who have played most often as those two.

With Fernandes now injured, Amorim has altered the United formation to 4-2-3-1, with Ugarte partnering Casemiro, and Mason Mount playing in the No.10 role.

But Ugarte has started just four league games this term, largely when one of Casemiro or Fernandes has been unavailable.

What’s more, United have spent months being linked with a host of midfield stars, such as Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton, Carlos Baleba and Ruben Neves.

It seems they’re looking to strengthen their engine room and that will surely see Ugarte become surplus to requirements.

He has clubs after him, with Turkish media reporting Galatasaray are preparing a January loan offer for Ugarte.

They’d be looking to take him on loan with an option to sign the midfielder permanently for €25million (£21.8m).

That is slightly below the €30million (£26.1m) that United are reportedly looking for if they are to part company with Ugarte.

Given United paid an initial €50million (£43.5m) for Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain in 2024, they’d be making a big loss on their investment if they agreed to that.

That said, the midfielder’s performances since joining United have not suggested he should command a fee far north of that.

Whether he lands at Galatasaray remains to be seen, as French media reports Lyon and Napoli are both interested in him, and their respective stature would suggest those moves might be preferable.

It is suggested that Galatasaray have made contact, though, with Lucas Torreira and Fernando Muslera attempting to convince their Uruguay team-mate to join them.

But the move would be dependent on United letting him go, and while in the summer that might be possible, if they don’t sign a new midfielder in January, with Fernandes currently out and Mount having struggled with injuries in the past, as well as Kobbie Mainoo’s potential exit, it would be a risk for them to allow Ugarte to leave in the middle of the season.