ON THE MEND
Super-agent Jorge Mendes lands in England to revive Man Utd transfer after personal terms ‘agreed’ for PSG star
Mendes lands in the UK with intentions to help LaLiga star join Chelsea
SUPER-AGENT Jorge Mendes has arrived in England for talks with Manchester United about Manuel Ugarte's stalled transfer.
Old Trafford chiefs agreed personal terms with Ugarte last month, but are holding out for Paris-Saint Germain to lower their demands.
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A deal between the two clubs collapsed after Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS team deemed PSG's £51m asking price too high.
The Ligue 1 outfit hope to recoup the exact figure they paid Sporting Lisbon for him last summer.
The Red Devils want at least £8.5m taken off the price tag, according to The Times.
But Mendes - who represented Cristiano Ronaldo for two decades - has now jetted into the UK for talks to try and seal a deal for his client, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
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United won't overpay and have already began exploring alternative midfield options including the likes of Sander Berge and Youssouf Fofana.
Ugarte is expected to leave PSG after falling out of favour with Luis Enrique - despite only having joined from Sporting a year ago.
And Erik ten Hag is keen on adding the Uruguayan star to his depleted midfield, as Casemiro continues to struggle and Scott McTominay looks set to leave amid interest from Fulham.
Ugarte has reportedly been left out of PSG's training sessions this week, according to French outlet L'Equipe.
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With PSG's Ligue 1 opener a matter of days away, Ugarte's omission could prompt United to sit up and take note.
The midfielder has reportedly told those close to him, including Mendes, that he only wants a move to Old Trafford.
New Man Utd signings Matthijs de Ligt hits Sexy Fish restaurant on first night out in Manchester
Mendes is also set to discuss Joao Felix's potential move to Chelsea from Atletico Madrid.
As United's window gathers pace, Ten Hag is on the verge of welcoming Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui for a combined fee of £60m from Bayern Munich.
The pair were spotted dining out with their partners at an exclusive restaurant in Manchester on Monday night.
MAN UTD TRANSFER NEWS LIVE: All the latest deals and rumours from Old Trafford
Why De Ligt is the perfect Man Utd signing
By Lee Scott
One of Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag's biggest headaches has been fixing their leaky defence.
Despite still not being anywhere near his peak years De Ligt has built considerable experience so far in his career with Ajax, Juventus and Bayern Munich and he has 45 caps at senior level for the Dutch national team.
While he is not necessarily a highly modern ball playing type of defensive player he is a player with the defensive strengths and instincts to help shore up a United defence that was, at best, leaky last season.
He has a great ability to read the game which was one of the biggest issues that we saw from the United defensive unit last season.
De Ligt is also a master in one-on-one situations, who shows strength and intensity in his duels.
The Dutch star does a good job in keeping things simple and tends to make good decisions in possession.
The pursuit of Matthijs de Ligt makes perfect sense for United and for Ten Hag as a young defender who is still to reach his peak.
He has considerable experience at a high level and he understands the game model and system of play of the manager.
Click here to read our full analysis on De Ligt joining Manchester United.
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