Manchester United are reported to have fielded an enquiry from Ajax regarding Manuel Ugarte as the 2026 January transfer window nears its final week.
Ugarte has only played a supporting role for United this season, appearing in 18 out of a possible 24 games across all competitions but starting just nine of those.
His playing time could continue to be affected, due to the departure of Ruben Amorim and appointment of interim manager Michael Carrick opening the door for Kobbie Mainoo to re-establish himself as a starter after being kept on the fringes by the former boss.
The Athletic writes that Ajax have been in touch over the possibility of taking Ugarte on loan for the rest of the season. The Amsterdam giants are seeking a No. 6 to boost their midfield but don’t want anything long-term due to Jordi Cruyff—the former Barcelona and Manchester United forward—beginning work as the club’s new sporting director from the start of next month.
But United appear unwilling to weaken their depth when recruitment is not being planned for right now. The report states that the Ugarte proposal and has been “so far declined.”
Man Utd Remain Focused on Summer Transfer Window
United are keen to land a new central midfielder ahead of next season, but January is rarely for big marquee signings and negotiating deals for Elliot Anderson, Carlos Baleba or Adam Wharton is not going to be a straightforward task.
Going after any one of them, each potentially valued at £100 million ($134.2 million), requires the time afforded by the longer summer window.
The only transfer United were believed to be interested this month was Antoine Semenyo, born out of opportunism because of his attractive release clause, rather than necessity. As soon as the Ghana international made it clear he wanted to join Manchester City, the Red Devils backed off and made the decision to keep their powder dry, so to speak, rather than throw money at someone else.
Letting Ugarte leave now would require a replacement to be brought in to plug the gap in the squad. The Uruguayan may have rarely started this season but still remains the first point of cover in central midfield behind Casemiro and the aforementioned Mainoo.
Bruno Fernandes, who has no plans to leave this month but could review his situation in summer, has returned to a more attacking No. 10 role since Amorim left Old Trafford.
It remains to be seen whether Casemiro will extend his contract. The Brazilian is among the squad’s top earners and 35 starts this season would trigger an automatic 12-month option—he needs 16 more for that and there are 16 games left. Alternatively, renegotiating a new contract to keep him on board for less of a financial burden might be attractive, given renewed importance on the pitch.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man Utd ‘Approached’ by European Giant Interested in Taking Midfielder.
