United have now decided against signing 'world-class' star before deadline - report

Manchester United are aiming to sign a defensive midfielder before the transfer deadline.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Manuel Ugarte is the priority target for the Red Devils and a deal could be close with Scott McTominay expected to join Napoli in the coming days.

United have agreed a package worth £25 million for the sale of McTominay. His departure should provide the club with the extra funds required to land Ugarte from Les Parisiens.

The Red Devils have also been tipped to re-sign Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina this summer, but Corriere dello Sport claim that a deal is unlikely to happen anymore.

Fiorentina are willing to sell Amrabat for £12.7 million, but United will not satisfy the club’s requests.

Fenerbahce have expressed an interest in the Moroccan lately, but they are reluctant to pay over £8.5m. Hence, Amrabat is more likely to continue with the Florence outfit.

United focusing on Ugarte after ending Amrabat pursuit

Amrabat, who was described as ‘world-class‘ by Morocco manager Walid Regragui, joined United from Fiorentina on loan last summer with much hype.

However, the 28-year-old struggled to adapt to the intensity of the Premier League. He found his feet towards the end of the season, but the club did not trigger the buy clause.

It was reported that United could negotiate a lower fee with La Viola, but that seems unlikely to happen.

The hierarchy are working on a deal to sign Ugarte. The 23-year-old is eager to join the club and United could push through an agreement before Friday’s transfer deadline.

Should the move go through, Ugarte is likely to become the first-choice holding midfielder for manager Erik ten Hag with Casemiro providing the back-up when required.

The club look unlikely to return for Amrabat in any case. They dropped a huge hint earlier this month when his profile was finally removed from the first-team squad list.