Man Utd tipped to sign Tottenham star as replacement for £50m 'wet blanket'

It’s no secret Man Utd are keen to recruit a new midfielder (Picture: Getty)

Manchester United have been tipped to sign Joao Palhinha, on loan at Tottenham from Bayern Munich , as a replacement for Manuel Ugarte .

The Red Devils have reportedly put Ugarte, branded a ‘wet blanket’ by Craig Burley, up for sale ahead of the January transfer window next month and it’s no secret that Ruben Amorim’s side are keen to recruit a new midfielder.

United paid £50m to sign Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain in 2024 – but if he departs Old Trafford – Pedro Mendes feels Palhinha could replace him.

Palhinha joined Spurs on loan from Bayern in the summer and the north London side have an option to buy him at the end of the season for £27m .

But ex-Spurs midfielder Mendes is convinced his Portuguese compatriot Palhinha could join United, despite being a similar type of player to Ugarte.

United previously targeted a move for Palhinha before he joined Bayern in a £47.4m deal from Fulham in July 2024.

‘Palhinha at Man Utd? Well, why not?’ Mendes told Boyle Sports, who offer the latest Football Betting .

Manuel Ugarte has reportedly been put up for sale (Picture: Getty)

‘To be fair, I think Manuel Ugarte is more or less the same type of player as Palhinha. [But] Palhinha is an option if they want to replace him.

‘We are not sure what is going to happen to Casemiro, so I think it (Manchester United signing Palhinha) could work.’

Joao Palhinha is on loan at Spurs from Bayern Munich (Picture: AFP/Getty)

Mendes added: ‘Joao Palhinha is the typical Premier League number six, that defensive midfielder who just sweeps up everything in front of the defenders.

‘If you have a team that has a lot of possession, he’s a little bit out of his game, from my point of view.

‘The players around him will shine more than him because, as you said, he just wins the ball, passes it away, tackles the ball, passes it. He’s fantastic at doing that role. He was fantastic at Fulham.

‘At Bayern Munich, when you have 70% or 60% of ball possession most of the games, you don’t need to do that kind of job.

‘Because normally teams play counter-attack or don’t have that type of possession against you, his strength is a little bit forgotten.

‘He has more of the ball and he needs to be more involved in the game, and to be fair, it’s not his main strength.