AC Milan are eyeing a move to save Manuel Ugarte from his torrid spell at Manchester United. United are eager to offload Ugarte to the highest bidder this summer, with Italian heavyweights Milan weighing up a deal that would see the Uruguayan midfielder reunited with Ruben Amorim. United brought Ugarte to Old Trafford from Paris Saint-Germain in 2024 in a move worth £42million. However, the midfielder has struggled to leave his mark at the Premier League club.
He has managed just 30 league games across two seasons, slipping further down the pecking order after Kobbie Mainoo reclaimed his position in the side during the second half of the last campaign. Michael Carrick has since made clear to Ugarte that he has no place in his long-term plans.
United have already bolstered their midfield options with the signing of Brazilian Ederson from Atalanta, and are poised to make an offer for West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes.
Ugarte is well aware his time at Old Trafford is up and has tasked his agent, Jorge Mendes, with securing him a fresh start elsewhere. Mendes has now entered into preliminary discussions with Milan over a potential transfer.
Amorim, who has been appointed as Milan’s new head coach, previously worked alongside Ugarte during his successful tenure at Sporting, and again during his troubled reign at Old Trafford. Much was anticipated from Ugarte – particularly after Amorim’s arrival – yet he never truly justified his hefty price tag.
United are keen to claw back a significant portion of the fee they forked out for Ugarte, and are holding firm at around £30m. Milan CEO Giorgio Furlani is unwilling to meet that valuation, though further negotiations are scheduled in a bid to find common ground.
A strong World Cup for the Uruguayan could work in United’s favour. Ugarte featured from the start in Uruguay’s opening fixture as they failed to beat Saudi Arabia, before facing Cape Verde on Sunday, and rounding off their group stage campaign against Spain on June 27.
Speaking two months before his dismissal as United manager, Amorim acknowledged he was putting considerable effort into helping Ugarte recapture his finest form.
He said: “You can sense a lot of very good players come here, and sometimes they struggle. He is struggling at the moment but it is our job to try to help and help him to feel like I felt when he was a Sporting player. But it is a different world. He needs to adapt, and he needs to improve, especially in training.”