Manuel Ugarte looks increasingly likely to leave Manchester United this summer, and the club already has a budget option in mind: Southampton's Shea Charles, valued at £20 million.
The 22-year-old Northern Ireland international — who scored the late winner against Arsenal in the FA Cup on Saturday — is on United's radar if Champions League football doesn't arrive and spending needs to be trimmed. Right now, third place keeps Europe's top competition in play, but recruitment rarely waits on final league standings.
Why Ugarte's exit is looking more likely
Ugarte's time at Old Trafford has been a slow-motion disappointment. He arrived with genuine pedigree — a cornerstone of Ruben Amorim's Sporting CP side, a big-money PSG move, and then the seemingly perfect twist of being reunited with Amorim in Manchester. It never clicked. Early in the season Amorim preferred Bruno Fernandes in deep midfield. Now, ten games into Michael Carrick's interim spell, Ugarte is yet to start. At 24, that's not a crisis — but it is a clear signal that the club is open to cutting losses.
Juventus, Napoli, Ajax and Galatasaray are all reportedly interested. A move to Serie A, specifically, would suit him — more structured, more tactically patient. His wages, though, will narrow the field considerably.
That exit, combined with Casemiro's confirmed departure, could leave Kobbie Mainoo as United's only recognised senior central midfielder. That's not a squad — that's a skeleton.
Charles: the sensible, unsexy answer
Charles spent 12 years in Manchester City's academy before Southampton — under then-director Jason Wilcox, now United's own DoF — paid for him in 2023. He missed last season's Premier League campaign entirely due to a formation change, spent the year on loan at Sheffield Wednesday, and returned to St Mary's for this season's promotion push.
His involvement against Arsenal was limited to a cameo, but the winning goal will have done his valuation no harm. At £20 million, he's the kind of signing that makes sense as a second midfielder rather than the main event — a functional, energetic presence who knows how to operate in a high-pressing system.
United face competition from Everton and two unnamed Premier League clubs. Rangers are interested but priced out.
- Shea Charles — valued at £20m, age 22
- Born and raised in Manchester, ex-Man City academy
- Northern Ireland international (eligible through his mother)
- Currently at Southampton on promotion push in the Championship
- Scored FA Cup winner vs Arsenal as a substitute
The bigger spending on a Casemiro replacement — Anderson, Tonali, Wharton, Baleba are all nine-figure targets — reflects how United view the two roles differently. One slot gets the marquee investment; the other gets the pragmatic fix. Whether Charles is good enough to be that fix in a squad aiming for the top four is a question his loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday doesn't fully answer.
