Manchester United officially announced that Ugarte has undergone surgery and is out for the season! Reports reveal the next transfer target, and they will not spend £80 million on a holding midfielder.

On Wednesday, Manchester United officially announced that Ugarte, who was injured in the World Cup group stage, has successfully undergone surgery. The 25-year-old Uruguayan defensive midfielder sustained a torn ACL in his left knee, which required surgical repair. The operation was successful, and he will now start his rehabilitation, supervised by the club's medical and fitness team. FIFA will cover Ugarte's wages during his recovery, but he had been expected to move to Italy for football; those plans have been put on hold due to the serious injury and will only resume once he recovers.

Based on experience, after an ACL surgery, it takes six months to return to jogging. To reach a playing level, it typically requires nine months to a year, or even longer, because football involves frequent sudden stops and changes of direction, placing great stress on the knee. Even if Ugarte makes a rapid recovery in nine months, he will certainly miss the entire 2026/27 season—his season is already over!

Due to Ugarte's season-ending injury, although they have signed Tielemans and Andre Santos, Manchester United will at least add one more first-team midfield signing. The transfer department's criteria for this new recruit are: experienced, capable of making an impact in the Champions League, and primarily a No.6 (defensive midfielder).

Although some fans are dissatisfied that the new signings are not big names or high-profile, Manchester United are quite calm about their summer transfer progress. They believe fans should wait until the end of the summer window to judge, and insist that they will adjust according to the situation to determine the right transfer targets. Although none of the original primary targets were signed, the club remains confident that their responses have been sufficient to make the team stronger.

The Guardian reports that Carrick admires Kone, Alex Scott, and Camavinga. However, these players are all priced at £80 million, and Sir Jim Ratcliffe is unlikely to approve another £80 million midfield signing.

However, Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano stated that while Scott and Camavinga may be expensive, Kone's price is not that high.

Romano said: "Manchester United are actively strengthening their midfield, and the transfer work is not yet finished. They have already signed Santos and Tielemans. Compared to previous windows, this summer's recruitment has been faster and more decisive. United's next target is a defensive midfielder, and Kone is on their shortlist. They have had positive phone conversations with Kone's agent and maintain a good relationship, although no formal offer or contact has been made with Roma yet. Previous reports claimed Kone's price is between £80 million and £90 million, which is somewhat exaggerated. Kone's price is indeed not low, but far from that level."

Il Romanista reports that Chelsea have re-entered the race for Kone, which could affect the price for Manchester United. After negotiating with Roma over the transfer of Alejandro Garnacho, Chelsea may now become the favorites to sign Kone.

Earlier, when Roma needed to sell players due to FFP financial fair play rules, Chelsea had expressed interest in Kone. Italian media say the minimum threshold to start negotiations is €50 million, and the price could be higher. Manchester United have yet to make a formal offer, but Chelsea's initial talks may soon escalate. Roma are eager to raise funds from Kone to strengthen their attacking line, and may even consider a complex deal involving multiple transfers.

Bournemouth still insists on not selling Alex Scott under any circumstances, while there has been no progress with Real Madrid's Camavinga because the player himself is unwilling to leave the Bernabéu. It is certain that Manchester United's upcoming transfers will not be as rapid as last week.

Additionally, although there are rumors that the club might consider signing Ederson at a lower price in the final moments of the transfer window, Romano insists it won't happen. As is well known, Manchester United had originally scheduled a £39 million transfer for Ederson, but the deal was canceled after the 27-year-old Brazilian defensive midfielder failed two medicals. Now, Atalanta and Ederson are unhappy with the process and will not re-engage with the Red Devils.

Romano said: "After the recent rapid signings, Manchester United are taking time to evaluate other options. Ederson is completely off the transfer list, with no possibility of a return."