Manchester United look to have wrapped up their latest signing of the summer transfer window as they have reportedly agreed a deal to sign midfielder Manuel Ugarte.
Currently on the books at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and having previously played for Sporting Lisbon, where Man United have plenty of success recruiting from in the past, Ugarte was left out of the French side’s starting lineup for the second game in a row last week as both parties began pushing for the move.
United were said to have agreed to personal terms with the player back in July but PSG have held out for the strongest offer possible, looking to recoup the full fee they paid for him when he left Portugal.
After the move looked to have stalled and the club were thought to be looking at other alternatives, the 12-time Ligue 1 champions have finally budged and agreed a deal worth upwards of £42.2 million for the 23-year-old’s services.
Most tackles + interceptions across Europe since the start of 2022/2023:
🥇 Manuel Ugarte (403) 🥈 João Palhinha (392) 🥉 Florentino Luís (367)
As confirmed by multiple outlets, the central midfielder is set to travel to Manchester for his medical on Tuesday ahead of becoming the fifth player of the Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS era.
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It is still unclear as to how long his contract length is at this stage but it is thought that the fee could rise to around £51.1m with add-ons.
Once over the lines, this will mean United will have spent over £200m on new players already this season, having also brought in three defenders and a new forward.
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Being brought in to be a combative and disruptive influence in the middle of the park, the Uruguayan led the division in tackles last season in 37 appearances across all competitions, and only 21 of those coming from the start during the entire campaign.
Most tackles + interceptions across Europe since the start of 2022/2023:
🥇 Manuel Ugarte (403) 🥈 João Palhinha (392) 🥉 Florentino Luís (367)
But the move doesn’t come without another player leaving by the looks of things, as Man United are also said to have agreed to let academy graduate turned first-team regular Scott McTominay leave the club after 22 years.
McTominay, 27, was the subject of much interest from around the Premier League, including offers from West Ham and Fulham, but he is now set to join Serie A side Napoli.
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The Italian giants have agreed to pay approximately £25 for the Lancaster-born Scottish international who emerged as a key attacking threat under Erik ten Hag last season – a sum needed in addition to other recent outgoings like Wan-Bissaka and Pellistri in order for United to stay in line with PSR.
Despite being a somewhat divisive figure at times, he is still considered by many as having become an important squad and impact player whose loyalty and commitment to the club was never called into question. He registered 10 goals and three assists in 23/24.
What do we reckon then, Reds: does Ugarte look like a good signing to you and does McTominay looking set to go the other way still make it a good business?
Manchester City’s alleged charges have been increased to 130
Danny Jones
Manchester City’s hearing over their 115 alleged breaches of FFP (financial fair play) has ended and the outcome is that their charges have now been increased to 130.
Not exactly what Blues will want to hear.
The hearing officially concluded last Friday, 6 December after a 12-week process to determine whether they broke Premier League regulations regarding PSR (profit and sustainability), with accusations initially spanning a nine-year period.
However, rather than making any progress when it comes to clearing their record, it looks as though the opposite has happened.
Man City are now alleged to have committed 130 breaches of Premier League rules with both parties still able to enter an official appeal.
The hearing was held at the International Dispute Resolution Centre near St Paul’s in London, kicking off in September before coming to a close on Friday, 6 December.
Fans will no doubt have been hoping for and maybe even expecting a much more positive update, especially after having been successful in their recent case against the division regarding sponsorship deals and Associated Party Transactions (APT).
As well as the number of alleged breaches having risen to 130, the period of offence is also now said to have been extended, jumping from just under a decade to a total of 14 years.
The Times writer Martyn Ziegler says the club could quietly learn of their fate as soon as next month and even though a final decision still isn’t expected until spring 2025, should either side appeal the final outcome, this will likely draw out proceedings for several more months.
Man City’s charges have gone from 115 to 130. (Credit: The Manc Group)
For context, City still deny all of the claims laid against them, which include failing to provide accurate financial information for as many as nine seasons, full details of players’ wages, hiding the true figure former manager Roberto Mancini was paid for her service, as well as failing to cooperate with the Premier League’s investigation and UEFA’s FFP rules.
The club were slapped with a two-year European ban back in 2020 and have been fined by the European footballing body previously, but that ban was ultimately dropped and even their most recent financial punishment was dropped from £30 million to just £10m – chump change given their spending power.
It still remains unclear what exactly will happen to the reigning English champions if they are found guilty but with Pep Guardiola’s also struggling for form of late, having lost five games in a row for the first time in the Catalan’s career, those inside the Etihad could do with some good news.
The blue moon that has loomed over Manchester in recent years is looking a little lost behind the clouds at the minute.
Five Manchester City players have been named in the 2024 FIFPRO World 11 teams
Danny Jones
A total of five Manchester City players have been selected for the 2024 FIFPRO World 11 across the mens and women’s teams.
Notching the second most votes of any other team on this year’s roster, beaten only by Real Madrid with seven), Man City fans can round off another unbelievable year of achievements with one last round of accolades.
Earning a spot on the FIFPRO World 11 is arguably one of the most coveted forms of recognition a footballer can ever hope for, as the dream team is voted for by more than 28,000 players from 70 different countries.
As for which City stars they believe are among the best players in the world, four of Pep Guardiola’s side found themselves in the squad and just one player from Gareth Taylor’s team.
The peer-to-peer voting covered the period between August 20, 2023 and July 14, 2024 (Euro 2024 final) and featured players representing eight different clubs and hailing from 10 different nations.
As you can see, the Blues given the nod as part of the Men’s FIFPRO World 11 don’t come as too much of a surprise: Ballon d’Or winner Rodri was always going to be a shoe-in, as was his midfield partner and arguably the best in the world, Kevin De Bruyne.
Goalkeeper Ederson was also a pretty comfortable choice along with multi-record-breaking goalscorer Erling Haaland, all of whom followed a historic treble-winning season with a fourth Premier League title in a row – a feat never achieved before by any other English team.
With players given a larger list of 250 shortlisted talents to vote on, breaking it down into just 11 players is no easy task. The only other player from the divison who managed to get their name on the list was Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and England star Jude Bellingham notched more votes than anyone with 11,176.
As for the Women’s FIFPRO World 11, it England defender Alex Greenwood was the only Man City representative in the combined XI for 2024, though former players Keira Walsh and Lucy Bronze also made it on to the list for Barcelona, with the latter making it a record seventh appearance.
Other Lionesses and Women’s Super League players chosen included former Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps (now playing at PSG) and Chelsea winger Lauren James.
To have not only multiple English players but so many with Greater Manchester ties getting the shout is an honour and testaement to the region remaining a vital hub for sport. Smashed it.
What do you make of this year’s FIFPRO World 11 and do you think they missed out anyone particular?
Danny Jones -
27th August 2024 
