Man Utd summer signing No 5 powers ‘closer’ as price is slashed to leave Ratcliffe in raptures

Manchester United are inching ‘closer’ to the signing of Manuel Ugarte after his agent arrived in England for talks and two factors forced PSG to lower their demands and leave Sir Jim Ratcliffe on the cusp of his fifth transfer capture of the summer.

The Red Devils have set the bar high this summer as the British billionaire looks to transform Manchester United back into one of the super-powers of English and European football. While the Red Devils won the FA Cup last season to put some serious gloss on an otherwise abysmal season, Ratcliffe knows they can ill-afford a repeat of the season that saw them finish in an all-time club low of eighth in the Premier League.

Ratcliffe has therefore spared little expense to try and elevate the club back among the very best with close to £150m already spent on four new players. Joshua Zirkzee was the first through the door, soon followed by Leny Yoro; two fine young European talents who tick the box of exactly the type of player Ratcliffe is looking for.

The Red Devils then had to wait a little longer for signings number three and four, but like Manchester trams, Matthijs De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui both arrived within five minutes of one another on a somewhat triumphant double Tuesday night announcement.

And it is evidentally clear United are not finished yet, with a deal being explored for a former Chelsea defender to shore up an area of concern.

READ MORE: Man Utd plot shock move for Chelsea old boy as Ashworth eyes bargain solution to glaring problem

However, the real fillip could be yet to come when it emerged on Tuesday that super-agent Jorge Mendes is in England to try and shift two of his big-name clients, in Joao Felix (to Chelsea) and Ugarte to United.

Man Utd transfers: Two factors swing Manuel Ugarte deal Ratcliffe’s way

The Uruguayan star has been identified as the ideal candidate to enhance the United engine room, having been a target of the club for several weeks now.

And with sporting director Dan Ashworth seeing two approaches rebuffed, it was felt the deal was going to be put out of United, with Paris Saint-Germain holding out for their full €60m (£51.3m) asking price – a fee Ratcliffe felt was too high for a player they clearly wanted rid of.

Now United’s patient approach appears to have paid dividends, with transfer guru Fabrizio Romano confirming the 23-year-old no longer featured in the Ligue 1 champions’ plans and had been cleared to leave.

Now reports from his native Uruguay state that Ugarte has made clear his wish to leave PSG as quickly as possible, forcing the French side to review their pricing policy for him and with the Red Devils making clear they will not pay as high as they are currently demanding.

As a result, it is claimed that a transfer agreement is inching ‘closer’ with PSG believed to have ‘lowered their demands’, and with Ugarte ‘pushing’ to join Man Utd.

DON’T MISS ➡️ Euro Paper Talk: Man Utd bid for electric Barcelona forward to be accepted

Personal terms have already been agreed between the player and the club, meaning the agreement of a fee – as well as the passing of a medical – remain the two final hurdles United must now overcome to get a deal over the line.

Quite how much they will lower that fee remains to be seen, though TEAMtalk understands there is a belief that a compromise agreement of an initial £40m plus add-ons is currently the ball-park figure being worked towards.

And with PSG reportedly excluding the player from first-team training as he awaits an agreement being struck, there is now optimism in Uruguay that a player recently branded his country’s  ‘most outstanding’ performer at this summer’s Copa America.

As United have waited to strike a deal for Ugarte, they have looked at a number of alternatives including Sander Berge, former loanee Sofyan Amrabat and, more recently, Nottingham Forest’s Danilo Oliviera.

However, Ugarte has always been their top choice and it seems now that a breakthrough is imminent in news that will thoroughly delight Ratcliffe.