Record – Player to ‘sign a contract’ for five seasons ‘today’ to seal Man Utd move

Man Utd have already signed four players this transfer window and all four have been significant acquisitions. Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui in one transfer window shows how ambitious Sir Jim Ratcliffe is and he is not done.

We covered a story yesterday revealing that Man Utd had reached an agreement with PSG for an initial fee of around £42m to secure the signing of Manuel Ugarte. The 23-year-old has been on the Red Devils’ radar throughout this transfer window.

Transfer: Man Utd prepared to agree their own terms to sign £15.6million a year star – Report

Now, as per the Portuguese outlet, Record, Ugarte is set to ‘sign a contract’ for the next five seasons with Man Utd ‘today’ to seal his transfer. This would mean that should the Uruguayan fulfil his contract, he will remain at Old Trafford until 2029 at the very least.

The contract is also set to include an optional extension for a solitary year, something Man Utd tend to do with a lot of players. It is very clear that the Red Devils and Dan Ashworth see him as a long-term acquisition for the club.

It’s been just one season since Ugarte signed for PSG from Sporting CP but the transfer hasn’t worked out with manager Luis Enrique preferring other options. However, the 23-year-old has been fantastic for his country, especially in the Copa America campaign held in the US this summer..

Ugarte is, in terms of profile, the closest Man Utd could have hoped for to Casemiro. The Brazilian legend is still at the club and has started the season well. However, he is not a long-term option and the club need to plan for the future.

This season is a glorious chance for the 23-year-old midfielder to learn the tricks of the trade from Casemiro and hone his game to develop into an all-round defensive midfield. Ugarte might not get much game time initially but it is bound to improve.

Adaptation to the Premier League is always a daunting task and Erik ten Hag thankfully has the option to ease Ugarte in instead of directly throwing him into the deep end. Man Utd have pulled off another transfer coup with the 23-year-old and let’s hope he can define an era at Old Trafford.