The mind-blowing Man Utd and PSG swap deal that could solve both club's problems

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Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain’s planned summer transfer trading could help both clubs fix some issues.

This promises to be a pretty seismic transfer window for Manchester United – and they’ve set the ball rolling in pretty impressive manner, securing the signing of lavishly talented centre-back Leny Yoro. That’s only one question of many, however, and United have a long list of players they need to sign and those they need to move on. Fortunately for the power brokers at Old Trafford, reports that they’re in negotiations to sign Paris Saint-Germain midfield Manuel Ugarte could help them solve two problems at the same time.

The 23-year-old Uruguayan only moved to the French capital last year, signing from Sporting in a €60m (£50.5m) deal but while he got off to a stellar start at PSG, being described by L’Equipe as a “revelation” following a string of performances that earned him a Player of the Month nomination for August, things quickly fell away, with Luis Enrique deciding that he was a poor fit for the team’s system. Ugarte was relegated to the bench and found minutes harder and harder to come by as the season wore on.

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Now, according to Fabrizio Romano, he has agreed personal terms with United. No fee has yet been agreed between the two clubs, but the rumour mill suggests that PSG are looking to recoup what they spent a year or so ago. It would make him a relatively expensive replacement for Casemiro, who is still likely to leave for Saudi Arabia after a disappointing second season at Old Trafford, but he looks like a more natural fit for what Erik ten Hag is trying to do – and there could be a way to mitigate the cost.

Reports linking Marcus Rashford with a move to PSG have been carried by a number of media outlets, including the Manchester Evening News, and don’t seem all that fanciful. The 26-year-old struggled desperately to find his form this year, scoring seven Premier League goals compared to the 17 he managed the season before. He looked bereft of confidence, and with reports of off-field issues gleefully dispersed by the tabloids, there is a strong suggestion that all my not be well in Rashford’s personal life.

PSG, meanwhile, are still figuring out what their front line looks like after the departures of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, with few definitive answers presenting themselves despite a successful season which saw them win the French domestic treble. Their quest to win the Champions League, however, fell short once more.

So two teams are in negotiations over a deal for a player who needs a more suitable home, while a player who may well need a change of scenery stands in the background, waiting to find out whether rumoured discussions resolve into something more concrete. It looks, from a distance, like starts starting to align.

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It’s highly unlikely, given the timelines involved, that Ugarte and Rashford would be a part of a formal swap deal – but it may well amount to as much if the England forward heads to the other side of the Channel. And such a trade may well end up being the best move for all parties involved.

In Ugarte, Manchester United would be getting a rugged defensive midfielder who is exceptional in the tackle, runs himself into the ground for the cause and whose ability to play highly accurate long balls could be game-changing for a team who struggled to knit a deep defensive line and a high front three together. They wanted to sit back and play direct when in possession, but lacked the speed or passing skills in midfield to do it. Ugarte has a remarkably precise long pass in his locker, completing an exceptional 85% of passes over 30 yards in Ligue 1 last year.

Rashford, meanwhile, would get the clean slate he may well need to get back to his sizzling best, and would get to play in the more close-knit front three that seems to suit his dynamism. While a player with his pace and ball-carrying skills should be able to thrive in the isolated positions Ten Hag’s system put him in on paper, he seems to flourish more easily when he has players close by to create space and offer options for quick passing moves. Whatever may be going on in Rashford’s private life, if anything, Ten Hag’s methods last year didn’t really line up with what Rashford does best.

Don’t be surprised if one big-money move between United and PSG becomes two. United have started their summer by spending big and will need to make sales to keep on the right side of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, while Rashford could be the kind of exciting and dangerous forward that PSG want to keep their attack going while keeping the replica shirt sales healthy.

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