Man United are “pondering” transfer move after Fulham win as sixth sale on the verge of completion

Manchester United are “pondering” on one of their transfer moves this summer after their 1-0 win over Fulham as a sixth sale looks likely to be completed.

The Reds are set to complete their final signings for Erik ten Hag’s squad in the coming weeks, with Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui already added to the roster.

Following the earlier signings of Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee this summer, United are now focused on enhancing their midfield and left-back options.

Manuel Ugarte is the leading choice to strengthen the midfield at Old Trafford, while multiple players are being linked to reinforce the backline.

However, French football expert Julien Laurens has suggested that United are still ‘pondering’ the move due to the potential price for a player who might not even be a guaranteed starter.

“United have had two offers rejected already, but they were quite a while ago,” Laurens said on ESPN FC on Friday. 

“In the last three weeks, it’s been a bit quieter, maybe because if you look at the game [on Friday], we had a good Casemero, much better than anything that we saw last season, for example.

“It’s not the Casemero that we saw at Madrid two or three years ago, but it’s much better than what we saw… Would you go and spend 65 million or 60 million on Ugarte when Casemero is in this form? You need more bodies, that’s for sure, especially in that defensive midfield role.

“But spend all that money for somebody who might not be a starter in your team, that’s where I think that’s where Ugarte to United possibility is right now.

“I think they are pondering it because if [Kobbie] Mainoo and Casemiro can offer you a really good season, then the backup doesn’t have to be worth 65 million.”

Read More: Fabrizio Romano shares “crazy” Manuel Ugarte to Manchester United update

This suggests that the Reds could instead opt for a cheaper option like Burnley’s Sander Berge, who has also been linked with an Old Trafford move.

Meanwhile, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Greek club Panathinaikos and United are now in “advanced talks” regarding the permanent transfer of Facundo Pellistri.

While the deal has not yet been finalised, negotiations are ongoing, and Romano notes that Pellistri could depart United in the “next days” after being left out of the squad that beat Fulham.

Pellistri’s time at the club has been marked by inconsistency, with manager Ten Hag never fully incorporating him into the squad.

The winger arrived at United from Uruguayan club Peñarol in 2020 for around £7 million, with hopes that he would develop into a key winger over time.

However, unlike Alejandro Garnacho, who has successfully followed this trajectory, and Amad Diallo, who has recently emerged, Pellistri’s opportunities with the first team have diminished, leaving him somewhat of a forgotten figure at the club.

He would become United’s sixth sale of the summer transfer window after Alvaro Fernandez, Willy Kambwala, Donny van de Beek, Mason Greenwood and Aaron Wan-Bissaka departed.

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