Manchester City have reportedly joined the race to sign Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Manuel Ugarte.
Last summer, the Uruguay international was the subject of strong interest from Chelsea, only to decide to make the switch to Parc des Princes in a deal allegedly worth £52m.
In his first season in the French capital, a total of 26 starts and eight substitute outings were made in all competitions, a respectable return given the calibre of Luis Enrique's squad.
Nevertheless, after just one year at PSG, it has been widely claimed that the Ligue 1 champions are willing to part ways with the 23-year-old.
Agent Jorge Chijane has acknowledged that it is "almost certain" that Ugarte will not be staying at PSG, confirming there will now be a battle for his signature.
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Man City latest team to show interest
Although the player will naturally be frustrated not to be highly-regarded in Luis Enrique's squad, it appears there will be a number of possibilities on the table.
Liverpool have been namechecked as a potential destination, while Manchester United are seemingly monitoring the situation in the event that they can afford to rival their fellow Premier League side.
According to Le 10 Sport, Man City are also contemplating whether they wish to add Ugarte to their ranks before the end of August.
Pep Guardiola is not short of options for his engine room with Rodri, Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes all competing for one or two spots, with Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne also used there on a regular basis.
However, Nunes failed to make the desired impact in his first campaign after joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers, while the latter two have been linked with moves elsewhere.
Ugarte could theoretically act as a replacement for Kalvin Phillips, too, with the England international having no future at the club.
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Man United to make formal bid
While Barcelona have also been credited as admirers, the report indicates that Man United are willing to offer £38m plus add-ons for Ugarte.
Much may depend on whether the Red Devils' footballing operations team are able to cash in on other players given they are already in line to spend big on at least two other players.
Erik ten Hag is seemingly keen to wrap up deals for Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt and Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee.
Darren Plant
