Man Utd ‘ready to use’ flop as ‘bait’ in swap deal to land PL star as cheaper Baleba alternative | OneFootball

According to reports, Manchester United are ‘ready to use’ £42m flop Manuel Ugarte as ‘bait’ in a swap deal involving a Sunderland star.

It is common knowledge that the Red Devils‘ top transfer priority this year is to overhaul their midfield.

In the summer, Man Utd focused on revamping their attack and signing a new No.1 goalkeeper, having invested around £230m to sign Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Senne Lammens.

Each of these signings, especially Mbeumo, Cunha and Lammens, have made a positive impact this season, but Michael Carrick‘s side are still sorely lacking in other departments and this is particularly the case in midfield.

The Red Devils made an audacious attempt to land Brighton’s Carlos Baleba in the summer, but a deal was deemed impossible as they had limited funds after making those aforementioned signings.

This means United are still crying out for a No.6 and Baleba remains an option, but they are also linked with other potential targets.

This includes Sunderland star Noah Sadiki, who has been a revelation since joining Regis Le Bris’ side in the summer for around £15m.

Sunderland fended off competition from Leeds United to sign Sadiki, who is unlucky not to feature on our list of the best 2025/26 Premier League signings.

Unfortunately for Sunderland, Sadiki’s form leaves them at risk of losing the centre-midfielder in the coming months, with it reported last month that Man Utd are prepared to ‘go all in’ for him if they decide to move away from Baleba.

Sadiki is surely valued at much more than £15m currently, but a report from GiveMeSport claims Man Utd are ‘ready to use’ Ugarte as ‘bait’ in a ‘swap deal’ in an attempt to drive his price down.

The report claims: ‘Ruben Amorim was willing to sanction the £42 million Uruguayan’s departure, but the Portuguese would have preferred it to be a permanent move.

‘And talk inside Old Trafford is that if United do follow Amorim’s thought process and look to offload Ugarte, he could be used as swop-bait to land Sunderland’s ‘incredible’ 20-year-old midfield talent Noah Sadiki.’

However, ex-Man Utd defender Mikael Silvestre has explained why he thinks his former club needs to prioritise Baleba and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton for their midfield rebuild.

“Man United should sign a centre midfielder in January,” Silvestre told Esports Insider.

“Casemiro isn’t getting any younger, and if the club are playing in Europe next season, they’ll need more depth in the middle of the park.

“There are plenty of options available on the market too and I believe Adam Wharton at Crystal Palace and Carlos Baleba at Brighton would both be great additions to the squad. Former youth player James Garner is also a possibility – he’s at Everton now, but he might be tempted to return to Old Trafford if he was guaranteed minutes under Michael Carrick.

“United are too light in that position at the moment. Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte are good options to occupy a place in the centre midfield, but if one gets injured, you’ve got no backup options. They need a strong forth man to cover that position, especially if they’re playing in multiple competitions next year.”