‘Movements started’: Romano drops Tues afternoon Man Utd bombshell regarding £51m midfielder

In partnership with

Stretty News

·7 avril 2026

‘Movements started’: Romano drops Tues afternoon Man Utd bombshell regarding £51m midfielder

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that ‘movements [have] started’ regarding Manuel Ugarte’s exit from Manchester United.

A sale this summer would see the Uruguayan depart just two years after he signed for United in a £50.5 million deal from Paris Saint-Germain.

Vidéos OneFootball

🚨 Manchester United are considering to sign 2 midfielders in the summer as Manuel Ugarte could leave. Movements started around Uruguay midfielder; talks to follow about fee and deal structure from May/June. Casemiro leaves and Ugarte could go too. 🎥➕ https://t.co/l6vgT4hscF
– mardi 7 avril 2026

DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL STRETTY NEWS APP FOR ALL THE LATEST UPDATES & BREAKING NEWS – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAY

Why United are ready to cut ties with Ugarte

Since then, he has failed to leave a lasting impression – or at least a positive one.

Ugarte’s cameos this campaign have often coincided with the Reds either conceding a goal or losing grip of a game, making him far too unreliable a player to call upon to see out high-stakes fixtures.

#mufc have conceded 24 goals when Ugarte has been on the pitch this season. Reiterates need for at least two central midfielders in the summer. United already lack specialists in that area and will need sufficient quality and quantity when they’d hope to be back in Europe.
– dimanche 1 février 2026

In line with that, he hasn’t performed well enough to warrant a starting role. Michael Carrick clearly already knew that before taking the reins in January, as the 24-year-old has yet to start under the interim manager.

(Ugarte’s record under Carrick)

Where might Ugarte end up?

Regarding Ugarte’s transfer options, it looks as though a move within Europe but outside of England is on the cards.

He has garnered interest from Turkey in the form of Galatasaray, while Ajax also began sizing up a deal as recently as January, although United ruled out the prospect of a mid-season switch for the Fénix graduate.

It remains to be seen what kind of fee INEOS could recuperate for him, especially since it’s now public knowledge that they’ll be doing their utmost to get him off the books in order to reinvest the funds on a replacement.

United’s midfield is poised to undergo a major overhaul as soon as the window opens, which will start with trusted veteran Casemiro leaving as a free agent.

What’s more, Ugarte is almost nailed-on to make Marcelo Bielsa’s World Cup squad this summer, so any potential negotiations may have to wait until Uruguay finish their campaign.