Major Manchester United transfer torched as Wilcox blocks sale of £50.7m star | OneFootball

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Manchester United have rebuffed advances from intermediaries working to take Manuel Ugarte to Turkish giants Galatasaray, TEAMtalk can reveal, while Ruben Amorim’s stance on letting two other sparingly-used stars depart this month has also come to light.

The Uruguayan midfielder arrived in a much-heralded £50.7m (€60m, $69m) move from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2024 in a move which then sporting director Dan Ashworth announced as providing Manchester United with ‘one of the best ball-winning midfielders in the world game’.

But some 18 months later and with just 42 Premier League outings to his name, United are yet to see Ugarte at his best, and it’s understood that they are now planning for life after the 24-year-old star.

To that end, we are informed via sources close to Turkish champions Galatasaray that they have advanced with talks with Ugarte’s camp in the last week in a bid to secure a transfer.

The Uruguayan star is understood to be in regular contact with current Gala star Lucas Torreira, who is selling him on the idea of a move to Istanbul.

Likewise, Galatasaray and Uruguay legend Fernando Muslera has also spoken to Ugarte about the possible move and that has only heightened Ugarte interest in securing a transfer to the ambitious Super Lig side.

Furthermore, it is understood Ugarte does not believe he has a long-term future at Old Trafford, and whilst nobody at United can give him any long-term guarantees, we can reveal exactly why his exit looks difficult this month…

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Man Utd make position clear on Manuel Ugarte exit

Indeed, Ugarte has started recent games for Ruben Amorim, who himself is believed to be frustrated that he has been unable to get the best out of him – a player who starred for him at Sporting CP.

Ugarte’s representatives, along with intermediaries, have spoken with United’s footballing hierarchy about Gala’s interest, but we are told they are informed that a deal to let him leave will not be possible this month and is being viewed as untenable in the January window.

Gala’s plan had been to take Ugarte on loan with an option to buy, and they were prepared to pay a hefty loan fee of around £15million (€17.5m, $20m).

But with Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee, both keen to secure exits in January, Ugarte has been told that it will not happen.

There is, however, a belief that if Gala came back with an offer that would see United pocket close to the original £45million they paid PSG in August 2024 for him, then they might have a chance of landing him this month.

But as it stands, United insist they are not open for business this month, for his departure anyway.

As for Zirkzee and Mainoo, Amorim has privately made it clear to Man Utd co-owners INEOS, headed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, that if Mainoo or Zirkzee leave, then he wants a replacement signed.

Meanwhile, a journalist has revealed the extraordinary reasons why United failed to sign Antoine Semenyo in the summer of 2025, with the Ghana international winger now set to join Manchester City from Bournemouth in the January transfer window.

Elsewhere, sources have revealed that Liverpool and Manchester United are competing for a much-heralded Championship winger.

And finally, we understand that United are back in the race for a Brazilian star with the player’s asking price now dropping to around the €40m (£35m, $47m) mark.