Manuel Ugarte: Juventus step up pursuit of Man United midfielder | OneFootball

Tuesday night sees Uruguay and Algeria clash in a friendly at Juventus’ Allianz Stadium.

While both national teams will use the fixture as World Cup preparation, Juventus have different priorities.

Manuel Ugarte under the Juve microscope

As per Gazzetta dello Sport, “Juventus’ sporting director won’t just be hosting the match, but will also take the opportunity to conduct some live tests.”

The report goes on to reveal, “The match offers plenty of opportunities, but the Juventus director’s eyes will be primarily on Manuel Ugarte.”

The paper further affirms, “The 24-year-old Uruguayan midfielder is a young, ‘old’ Juventus target: he was popular during his time at Sporting, and in recent years, Continassa have made several attempts to sign him on loan, first from PSG and then from Manchester United, where he has played since the summer of 2024.”

Given Juventus‘ focus, the Old Lady now view Manuel Ugarte as the ultimate replacement for Teun Koopmeiners, who remains strongly linked with a move to the Süper Lig and Galatasaray.

Ugarte to Juventus

INEOS will hope Ugarte impresses on Tuesday night, giving the Italian giants fresh incentive to press ahead with a deal.

Across two seasons at United, the South American has struggled to establish himself. The relentless pace of the Premier League has unsettled him, and he has failed to become the lynchpin the Red Devils envisioned in midfield.

Ideally, he was signed to succeed Casemiro. Yet the consensus is clear: United must look elsewhere in the market to secure a more fitting heir to the Brazilian.

There is already debate about who the ideal Casemiro successor should be.

Cashing in on Ugarte boosts midfield rebuild plans

With United needing two or three midfield signings, their rebuild will inevitably rely on sales.

Offloading Ugarte could strengthen their transfer kitty and improve their chances of landing top central midfielders such as Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali.

Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images

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