Manchester United fail with late £50m bid to hijack Aston Villa signing

Manchester United have failed with a late attempt to sign Everton midfielder Amadou Onana ahead of Aston Villa, according to reports in Belgium.

Villa have been busy this summer with seven new signings including two central midfielders in Ross Barkley from Luton Town and Enzo Barrenechea from Juventus.

Unai Emery’s side have also seen the departure of Douglas Luiz to Juventus in a €50 million (£42.3m) deal.

According to a report from Sacha Tavolieri, Villa have now agreed a £50m package with Everton to sign Onana, with £45m to be paid, plus a potential £5m in add-ons and a 10 per cent sell-on clause.

Onana has also agreed a five-year contract with Villa and is cutting short his holiday following Belgium’s Euro 2024 campaign in order to undergo a medical this Sunday.

United, however, made a late move for Onana as they matched Villa’s offer and offered better personal terms to the Belgium international.

However, the 22-year-old turned down United’s approach as he had already given his word to Emery that he will join Villa this summer.

After securing a £52m deal for Lille centre-back Leny Yoro on Thursday, United are now prioritising a move for Paris Saint-Germain’s defensive midfielder Manuel Ugarte.

It’s understood that United have agreed personal terms with the Uruguay international.

However, United and PSG are still far apart in negotiations over a fee for the 23-year-old as the Ligue 1 side are holding out for a €70m (£58.9m) fee.

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