Man Utd identify £20m star as replacement for midfielder who ‘will definitely leave’ in January

A source claims that Manchester United are preparing to part ways with Manuel Ugarte in January, while another pinpoints Ruben Neves as his replacement at Old Trafford.The Uruguayan midfielder joined the Red Devils in the summer of 2024 on a £42 million deal from Paris Saint-Germain. However, his performances have thus far fallen below expectations, despite being reunited with his former Sporting Club manager, Ruben Amorim.Therefore, circulating reports have been heavily linking Ugarte with a move to Galatasaray over the past few weeks. The Turkish giants have been on an impressive spending spree in recent years, so they should have enough resources to finance the deal.Turkish reporter insists Manuel Ugarte will leave Man UtdAccording to Turkish journalist Yakup Çınar, the Istanbul-based club is still pushing to sign the 24-year-old midfielder, with his compatriots Fernando Muslera and Lucas Torreira urging him to join.“Galatasaray is in constant work for Manuel Ugarte,” said the Galatasaray-specialised reporter as relayed by Turkish portal Haber Sarikirmizi. “Players like Muslera and Torreira are also in talks with him about joining Galatasaray.“Galatasaray want to sign him on loan with a purchase option. The player will definitely leave Manchester United.”Interestingly, this update coincides with a report from The Guardian, claiming that Man Utd are willing to bolster Michael Carrick’s squad in January, even if it means bringing in a stop-gap solution.As reiterated over the past few months, United have identified Elliot Anderson, Carlos Baleba and Adam Wharton as their main midfield targets for 2026, but none of them is available in the winter market.Man United willing to spend £20m for out-of-contract Ruben NevesMUFC will certainly try to lure one or more in the summer, but in the meantime, The Guardian reveals they could try to sign Ruben Neves from Al-Hilal.The 28-year-old had a splendid stint with Wolves, becoming one of the most sought-after midfielders in the Premier League. However, the Portuguese ended up joining the Saudi Pro League giants in the summer of 2023. Neves has been recently tipped to make his return to Europe this year, and Fabrizio Romano confirmed Man Utd held exploratory talks with his representatives. Neves’ stats by club Appearances Goals Assists Wolves 253 30 13 Al-Hilal 111 16 27 Porto 93 4 3 The source believes that Neves would cost United £20 million, which is arguably a hefty price for a player running on an expiring contract.For his part, ESPN journalist Mark Ogden insists that Man Utd’s squad will remain virtually intact this month, meaning that Ugarte, Joshua Zirkzee and Kobbie Mainoo will be at Carrick’s disposal until the end of the season, and no new arrivals should be expected at Carrington, which sounds like a sensible call given the circumstances and uncertainty engolfing the identity of the next permanent manager.