Manchester United transfer target Manuel Ugarte has been omitted from the Paris Saint-Germain squad for their Ligue 1 opener.
Luis Enrique’s reigning French top-flight champions begin their latest title defence on Friday night with a trip to face Le Havre at the Stade Oceane.
PSG have named a 20-man travelling squad for that game, one that does not include Ugarte, who continues to be heavily linked with a potential move to Manchester United before the August 30 transfer deadline.
United are believed to have been in talks over the Uruguayan international midfielder for some time, but have so far refused to meet PSG’s £51million asking price for a player they only signed from Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon for a similar fee last summer.
Ugarte was said to have agreed personal terms with the Red Devils last month and reportedly wants to make the move to Manchester, having struggled to impress during his first full season at the Parc des Princes.
Reports earlier this week stated that the 23-year-old had been working away from the main PSG group during training matches along with Danilo Pereira and Nordi Mukiele, who join Ugarte in being absent from the squad to take on Le Havre.
However, West Ham transfer target Carlos Soler is included, along with PSG’s star new signing Joao Neves, also strongly linked with Manchester United before eventually swapping Benfica for PSG in a £50m deal earlier this month.
United have yet to upgrade their midfield unit during a busy summer transfer window so far, instead focusing on attack and defence with Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui all arriving.
Amid a seeming stand-off over Ugarte the club have been linked with a whole host of alternatives including the likes of Burnley’s Sander Berge and AC Milan-bound Monaco star Youssouf Fofana, while reports on Friday claimed they had now made an approach to Nottingham Forest over Brazilian midfielder Danilo.
Following last weekend’s penalty shootout defeat by rivals Manchester City in the Community Shield at Wembley, United - having decided to keep manager Erik ten Hag this summer and offer him a new contract - begin the new Premier League season at home to Fulham on Friday evening.
