Patience will naturally be called upon among Liverpool fans after Manchester United secured an intriguing target in highly-rated defender Lenny Yoro.
The Merseyside outfit were said to be interested in the Lille youngster, but ultimately the 18-year-old’s steep price tag proved too high for a player who had not featured regularly at senior level.
For now, there are no issues as Arne Slot is tasked with assessing the current options in the defensive line, which includes centre-half Sepp van den Berg, who is keen to leave.
But the Red Devils may have caused more commotion on Merseyside after agreeing personal terms with Manuel Ugarte, according to Fabrizio Romano’s X (formerly Twitter) account.
🚨🔴 Manchester United have agreed personal terms with Manuel Ugarte.
The terms of the contract have been discussed and the players are keen to join United even if they miss out on playing in the Champions League.
Negotiations between the clubs with PSG are continuing as more clubs make enquiries.
Agents like Lenny Yoro: Jorge Mendes. pic.twitter.com/vyox9phNlQ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 18, 2024
Follow Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) on Instagram here
The Anfield-based team are said to be considering a number of positions, including midfield, centre-back and wide forward.
But the link(Oh, jogo) Interest in the former Sporting star has waned somewhat in recent months.
READ MORE: Liverpool will know for sure whether they have landed the $49m firecracker that former Reds boss loves by July 27 – Report
Read more: Man City reportedly being tracked by Euro monsters Liverpool ‘not even in talks’
Should Liverpool have been keeping an eye on Manuel Ugarte?
If all goes to plan, Ugarte will likely be out of French football after a year at Ligue 1 champions PSG.
From a purely statistical standpoint, it’s easy to see why United are so attracted to the Uruguayan international. As things stand, he’s one of the top midfielders for tackles and interceptions (99th and 96th respectively) and is extremely reliable on the ball (95th for passes completed). FB Ref.
So, could he be a suitable fit for Liverpool, who are looking for a number 6?
Probably not, as the player tends to be a bit of an “all action” player and roams the pitch. Assuming Arne Slot deploys a No. 6 or a double pivot, ideally you’d want the new holding midfield addition to be a bit more static, especially when paired with someone like Dominik Szoboszlai or Alexis Mac Allister.
Cruiser destroyers are absolutely not in the cards.
He’s a great player with a huge engine and sadly he’s the one who could make United at least a little better, but he’s not the one Liverpool need right now.
Close-up with EOTK John Welsh: ‘Local lad living his dream’ and Slot’s LFC predictions
