Juventus Lead Race for Manuel Ugarte as Manchester United Exit Looms

Manuel Ugarte is set to swap the Premier League for Serie A this summer, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.

The defensive midfielder, 25, is one of a group of players Manchester United are looking to offload at the end of the season. 

Our sources have been told that there are a number of suitors for the Uruguayan international in the Premier League and abroad.

However, sources close to the player have told SportsBoom that the player would prefer a move to Italy.

Juventus have earmarked the former Paris St Germain midfielder as one of their man targets as they look to overhaul their squad this summer.

It has been a tough few years in Turin and bosses are determined to upgrade their squad and become title contenders once more with Luciano Spaletti a big admirer of the player.

There are other options in Italy for Ugarte, but he seemingly has his heart set on Juve who still have strong pulling power despite their struggles in recent times.

Newcastle United have identified the Uruguayan as a potential target as the virtues circle their top stars, whilst Tottenham Hotspur have also pinned him to their shortlist.

Galatasaray are keen and could also offer him European football.

But it is understood Ugarte prefers Italy, where the league suits his attributes as a ball-winning midfielder. 

Man Utd are already lining up a midfield reinforcement for the summer, with the club heavily linked to West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes, who is also a compatriot of Bruno Fernandes, as they look to reshape their engine room following potential departures.

On The Move

Ugarte has been well-travelled in his career and Italy would be his fifth country.

He moved to Portugal and ended up at Sporting Lisbon, winning the Portuguese League Cup. 

His performances at Sporting earned him a five-year deal at PSG, who splashed out €60million on the player.

A league and cup double followed in his first season before another big-money switch, this time €50million, to Manchester United after a year in France.