Manchester United are reportedly on the verge of agreeing a new contract with manager Erik ten Hag as they also pursue a deal for Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Manuel Ugarte.
Long-running questions over the Dutchman’s Old Trafford future were finally answered earlier this month when he was kept in place by part-owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos after a post-season performance review that lasted for weeks.
Many had expected Ten Hag to be sacked following a dire season in which United slipped to their worst-ever Premier League finish - eighth - and lost their most amount of top-flight games in a single season (14) since all the way back in 1989/90.
However, the Red Devils eventually decided to stick with the former Ajax boss after he delivered the club’s 13th FA Cup triumph with a shock upset of rivals Manchester City at Wembley.
Such a decision was expected to be accompanied by a new contract as a show of faith in Ten Hag following links to several other potential managerial candidates in Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel, Gareth Southgate, Thomas Frank, Roberto De Zerbi, Kieran McKenna and more.
Now according to the Daily Mirror, the 54-year-old is close to settling on a two-year extension to his current deal with United until 2027 worth a cool £27million - with a revamp of his coaching staff also on the way with club icon and compatriot Ruud van Nistelrooy having apparently rejected the chance to succeed Bayern Munich’s Vincent Kompany as Burnley boss in order to head back to Old Trafford as a coach.
With an agreement with Ten Hag on the way, United also appear to be pressing ahead with their transfer plans for the summer.
Widespread reports claim that the FA Cup holders have made an opening bid for PSG midfielder Ugarte, currently away with Uruguay at the Copa America tournament in the United States.
French outlet L’Equipe report that PSG have rejected United’s initial offer for Ugarte, who was a target for Chelsea last summer during his time at Sporting Lisbon, before they cooled their interest to seal the £115m signing of Moises Caicedo from Brighton instead.
It is said that the reigning French champions want to recoup as much as possible of the €60m they spent to sign the 23-year-old, who made 37 appearances across all competitions in his first season in Paris.
