Why Liverpool turned down chance to sign Man Utd midfielder in 2024 | OneFootball

Liverpool are reported to have turned down the chance to sign Manuel Ugarte last summer, before the midfielder joined Manchester United instead.

Liverpool have been crowned English champions for only the second time in the Premier League era in Arne Slot's first season in charge. But the Reds hierarchy, which itself underwent significant changes last summer, didn't do much to alter the squad left behind by Jurgen Klopp.

Federico Chiesa, one of the few transfer disappointments of the past decade, was the sole new arrival, with Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip the only notable departures.

Liverpool were publicly linked with Ugarte last summer. But The Athletic has reported that Slot and new sporting director Richard Hughes were set against "panic buying", with ultimately no interest in Ugarte after being "offered" the chance to sign him from Paris Saint-Germain.

Liverpool sought to work with what they already had / Visionhaus/GettyImages

Instead, Slot breathed new life into Dutch compatriot Ryan Gravenberch, who had struggled to make the expected impact under Klopp following a £34m move from Bayern Munich in 2023.

Gravenberch went from starting only 12 league games last season, to starting all 34 so far this season, anchoring the midfield alongside Alexis Mac Allister.

Last summer, Ugarte's agent Jorge Chijane, fuelled rumours two months before the player was eventually unveiled by United. "There is a lot of talk but [Liverpool] is not the only club, there are others. There are many possibilities on the table," Chijane told O Jogo.

A £42m deal, potentially rising to around £50m with add-ons was completed on 30 August.

Ugarte has endured a challenging first season with United, arriving in less than ideal circumstances. But he has been a starter more often than not for Ruben Amorim, the head coach under whom he previously thrived at Sporting CP, and will be better served next season for having had a year under his belt to settle into a new club, league and country.