1 year ago
288 
Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images
The standout defensive midfielder’s profile surprised some when he began to be heavily linked with a Liverpool move.
A wave of transfer chatter early this month served to push Uruguay and Sporting Lisbon defensive midfielder Manuel Ugarte into the collective consciousness of Liverpool fans as the Reds were heavily linked with a move for the 22-year-old.
His case was unusual in that Ugarte is a pure destroyer, arguably even the best young destroyer in Europe, but with limited ball skills he always seemed to fit a very different profile than Liverpool’s other supposed targets or current six Fabinho.
Now, according to club-connected journalist David Lynch, we have at least a possible explanation. Namely that Liverpool were never trying to sign Ugarte and all of the transfer chatter was coming either from the player or selling club’s side.
Ugarte has also been proposed as a Manchester United target in recent months, but Tottenham and Aston Villa are said to be his more likely suitors and potential destinations as the season nears its end and the transfer window draws near.
That the player is represented by the same agency that handles current Liverpool players Diogo Jota, Darwin Nuñez, and Fabinho had seemed to add legitimacy to the stories in the Portuguese and South American press linking him with the Reds.
