Euro league leaders ‘pushing hard’ to sign £42m midfield ‘engine’ from Man Utd this summer after January talks

Galatasaray have set their sights on a summer swoop for Manchester United’s Manuel Ugarte after initially holding talks in the winter.According to TeamTalk, the Turkish giants are ‘pushing hard’ to sign the midfielder in the lead-up to the window opening.DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL STRETTY NEWS APP FOR ALL THE LATEST UPDATES & BREAKING NEWS – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAYManuel Ugarte overseeing final months in redUgarte is one of a handful of players expected to leave Old Trafford this summer after failing to impress in the two seasons he’s had to showcase his abilities.Despite being hailed as an ‘engine’ by his national team’s X/Twitter account, the 24-year-old simply hasn’t done enough to warrant staying long-term in M16 – even though he is just under two years into his five-year contract. Midfield engine. 🇺🇾⚙️Doing it for Uruguay and @ManUtd pic.twitter.com/7aHrik4Q0T — Uruguay National Team (@Uruguay__EN) March 31, 2026United’s midfield will undergo a major overhaul in the coming months, starting with Casemiro departing as a free agent at the end of June. From there, INEOS will hope to bring in a young but proven star to partner Kobbie Mainoo in 2026/2027, and it won’t be Ugarte. Appearances Starts Unused sub Minutes played 6 0 4 65 (Ugarte’s record under Michael Carrick)Who wants to sign Ugarte?In regard to where the Uruguayan may end up, a move to Galatasaray will undoubtedly pose as a tempting one.Playing Champions League football each campaign is almost guaranteed, while they are always in contention to win the league season on season; currently, they sit atop the table and a point ahead of Fenerbahce.Elsewhere, however, Ugarte also garnered interest from Ajax in January, but United closed off the prospect of a sale midway through 2025/2026, and so nothing materialised.It remains to be seen if they have retained the player on their shortlist in recent months, or whether they’d be willing to pay whatever price tag United set for their £42 million (rising to £50.5m) acquisition.