Manuel Ugarte, a 23-year-old midfielder for Paris-Saint-Germain, is reportedly “practically closed” to joining Manchester United in the “next few hours,” according to a Uruguayan newspaper.

After weeks of lengthy talks between the two teams, El País, a Uruguayan newspaper, reports that “everything is on track” for Ugarte to eventually leave Paris for Manchester (as recounted by Sports Witness).

Ugarte has emerged as United’s top midfield target as the team looks to begin completely reassembling Erik ten Hag’s team.

Ten Hag urges ‘patience’ in the face of…

Even if inquiries about Youssouf Fofana, Sander Berge, and Sofyan Amrabat were made, it’s evident that the Red Devils’ top goal was still landing Ugarte.

Old Trafford authorities viewed PSG’s asking price—which was reportedly as high as €70 million at one point—as unreasonable and once threatened to entirely ruin negotiations.

The Ligue 1 winners seem more open to taking a bid of about €60 million, given this is the same amount they gave Sporting Lisbon for Ugarte during the previous summer.

However, there have been budgetary constraints at Old Trafford this summer. United has been as focused on outgoing transfers as incoming ones due to the intense strain of the Premier League’s profits and sustainability guidelines (PSR), as the team looks to increase revenue from sales.

The Peoples Person goes into further depth about the agreement reached yesterday, when United agreed to sell Scott McTominay to Serie A team Napoli for €30 million. Even though there are still a few things to work out before the transfer is officially approved, everything seems formal at this point and all parties involved are amenable to the agreement.

Since McTominay, 27, is an academy graduate, his transfer will, in terms of PSR, represent “pure profit.” The Athletic state that the transaction is “important for United’s compliance with UEFA and the Premier League’s financial rules.”

Therefore, United’s ability to pursue Ugarte as a replacement for the Scottish international will have been greatly aided by their increased financial flexibility. Reports indicate that the club is pursuing a permanent transfer rather than the previously reported loan with an obligation to buy deal.

According to La País, this event may have contributed to the negotiation breakthrough and the transfer being “practically closed.”

And with the 2-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, and the daunting prospect of facing fierce rivals Liverpool on Sunday, Ten Hag’s team will benefit greatly from the addition of a combative defensive midfielder with outstanding European and international experience who has time to register by the weekend.