Manchester United finally ready to cut losses on £40m star as transfer already lined up: report

Manchester United are said to have made yet another ruthless transfer decision ahead of the summer.

We already know midfielder Casemiro is set to seek pastures new, as confirmed by the club earlier this year, whilst the future of Harry Maguire, among others, still hangs in the balance, too.

A host of loan players are also set to return to the club after the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, but INEOS are reported to have already made their intentions clear regarding one individual.

Manchester United make crucial transfer decision regarding midfielder

It's been yet another whirlwind season for the Red Devils, capped off by the sacking of Ruben Amorim following a high-profile falling out with Manchester United's decision-makers.

Amorim led the club to the UEFA Europa League final last season, only to lose to Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham in Bilbao, but Michael Carrick has since helped to steer the ship in the past few months.

Restoring Kobbie Mainoo to the side has been well-received, with the England international partnering Casemiro at the base of a traditional 4-2-3-1 for Manchester United in recent weeks.

But this time around, it isn't Mainoo's future that is being discussed, instead it's Manuel Ugarte, who has struggled for minutes over the course of the 2025/26 season and was signed as recently as summer 2024 in a £42.3m move.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Ugarte is tipped to leave Old Trafford during the summer, with clubs in Italy thought to be monitoring with intent.

Serie A has been something of a dumping ground for United's unwanted stars over the last few years, with Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McTominay currently with Napoli.

“Casemiro is leaving on a free, but around Ugarte, there is already some movement about some clubs interested,” declared Romano on his YouTube channel.

“There are clubs in Italy considering the possibility to go for Ugarte, so there is interest from Italy.

"In the January window, Galatasaray were interested, but then nothing really concrete, nothing really advanced, and so all parties decided not to proceed.

“But Ugarte in the summer could assess options and leave Manchester United eventually.”

What has Michael Carrick said about Manuel Ugarte?

Carrick is stuck between a rock and a hard place. He does not known whether he will be Manchester United's permanent manager next season, so speaking about the make-up of the side has proven tricky.

But the former Middlesbrough boss has praised Ugarte's willingness, admitting his demeanour when not selected does not alter in the slightest.

"I like Manu a lot. He's been terrific around the group and I'm hugely impressed with his attitude and how he goes about it and his training qualities," said Carrick.

"He has a lot of really good attributes. When the team is winning, there's obviously a big upside to that. And there's always, for the one or two boys that maybe haven't played so much, obviously it makes it a little bit tougher to get in the team, but I think that creates that competition as well, in a real healthy way, that everyone's pushing each other.

"Manu's obviously desperate to get on the pitch more and he's doing everything he can in training and he is a big part of the group, so I think it's just a case of the results and the boys playing so well.

"There's going to be times when we might need to change things and freshen things up and then certainly he is a big part of that."