Man Utd transfer state of play as £30m signing approved and flop ‘will definitely leave’ | Football | Sport

Manchester United remain without a permanent manager but it could still be a busy January window at Old Trafford. Michael Carrick has assumed temporary charge until the end of the season, at which point a longer-term replacement will be sought. Until then, the former United midfielder will be tasked with securing European qualification at the end of the campaign.

Carrick may look to bolster his squad this month to give the Red Devils the best chance of achieving that goal. A new midfielder is thought to be at the top of United’s priority list with several players having already been linked. Meanwhile, there could also be some potential exits as we head into the second half of the January window.

Express Sport takes a look at the current state of play for United…

£30m transfer approved

Carrick is reportedly looking to raid his former club Middlesbrough for the signing of Hayden Hackey, who has been one of the Championship’s best midfielders in recent seasons.

He came close to joining Ipswich Town over the summer but decided to stay at the Riverside after travelling to Suffolk for talks with the Tractor Boys.

Now, he is being eyed up for a move to Old Trafford with TEAMtalk reporting that Carrick has approved United’s pursuit of the midfield general.

Middlesbrough accepted a £20million offer from Ipswich in the summer but are now believed to be demanding closer to £30m in exchange for Hackney’s signature.

United are known to be targeting midfield reinforcements and it remains to be seen if they will be able to push a deal over the line.

Flop ‘will definitely leave’

Manuel Ugarte could leave United this month in order to make a fresh start elsewhere, with Galatasaray having already been linked with a potential move.

The midfielder hasn’t really kicked on since joining the Red Devils two years ago and was very much a back-up option under Ruben Amorim.

It’s been reported that Ugarte could move to Turkey before the end of the window, with reporter Yakup Cinar claiming he ‘will definitely leave’ Old Trafford over the coming weeks.

Galatasaray is in constant work for Manuel Ugarte,” said Cinar. “Players like [Fernando] Muslera and [Lucas] Torreira are also in talks about joining Galatasaray.

“Galatasaray want to sign him [Ugarte] on loan with a purchase option. The player will definitely leave Manchester United.”