For United's manager, Erik ten Hag, it is looking positive. As this column discussed last week, United - and to be fair, the two players involved - had Bayern Munich in a corner. A deal for Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui was there to be made. And it now looks like agreements - separate agreements - have been struck.
But what of the third? Like De Ligt and Mazraoui, a third transfer target long admired and wanted by United's manager? Manuel Ugarte. Two offers lodged by United this summer. Two offers rejected by PSG. But things have shifted in the past week and the Parisians' stance on a price for the Uruguay midfielder is softening.
In the middle of it all is Jorge Mendes - again. The Portuguese super agent is fast becoming Ten Hag and United's top dealmaker. Just weeks after burning off Real Madrid to place Leny Yoro at Old Trafford - via Lille - Mendes is engineering another transfer coup in United's favour.
Of course, there's no great loyalty involved here. No playing favourites. But it's clear, Mendes has seen an opportunity and worked it to his advantage. The looming commission is proof of all that. Now having just moved Joao Neves from Benfica to PSG for a cool €60m, effectively identifying and delivering PSG a replacement for Ugarte, the Portuguese is on the brink of placing his Uruguayan client at United.
For their part, PSG have been demanding the €60m they paid Sporting CP - beating United in the process - for Ugarte's signature a year ago. But as we say, that stance is now softening. United's last offer was for €42m and after threatening to look elsewhere, the Prem giants have been encouraged by Mendes to try again. For those close to the negotiating table, a compromise in the region of €48m will satisfy both parties.
For his part, Ugarte will be pleased. The midfielder has already settled on personal terms, having known of United's admiration as far back as 2020 when first brought to Europe by Famalicao. John Murtough, United's former technical director, had long had Ugarte on his radar and made a serious attempt for the player a year ago before a richer contract from Paris turned his head.
Twelve months on and Murtough may be gone, but Ten Hag and that admiration remains. A player to sit in front of the back four. To bite into tackles. To move the ball swiftly through midfield. And a South American to boot. Ugarte fills all the criteria Ten Hag has been seeking in a midfield pivot since his appointment over two years ago. Like De Ligt and Mazraoui, Ugarte will arrive - if it all goes to plan - to enhance Ten Hag's starting XI. A player... better yet, an investment at 23 years of age, to lift the level and standards of the team over the immediate and long-term. With a major assist from Mendes, this has dropped very nicely for Ten Hag and United.
All three deals still require a rubberstamp, but as it stands, Fulham will be facing a very different Manchester United to the one beaten on penalties by Manchester City in Saturday's Community Shield. A new centre-half and midfield pivot to lift the spine of the team. A fullback addition capable of playing on either side of the centre-halves. Throw in Josh Zirkzee, who was held back by Ten Hag at Wembley, and United's market campaign does have the potential of ending in a positive fashion - and that's even with Yoro's setback.
There will be questions about Ugarte and why it didn't work for him in Paris. The Uruguayan began with a flourish, but as the season drew on, Ugarte battled to fulfil the role coach Luis Enrique had mapped out for him. The Spaniard wanting more of a box-to-box midfielder than a 'sitter', which eventually worked against Ugarte's strengths.
But if the deal does go through this week, Ugarte will arrive at Carrington a man in form. Putting his issues in Paris to one side, Ugarte was outstanding under Marcelo Bielsa at this summer's Copa America, leading Uruguay to a third place finish. The pinnacle for Ugarte was his performance in the quarterfinal against Brazil. It was a display which went a long way to him being named in the Copa America's Team of the Tournament. It was physical. Even brutal. And Ugarte came away, after hitting the winning penalty in the shootout, telling friends, "I was like a fish in water".
The demands of the Premier League are unlikely to shake the lad from Montevideo. And that's what Ten Hag will be expecting once the contracts are signed. Play him to his strengths, as Bielsa did in the US, and Ugarte will deliver.
Murtough. Mendes. Ten Hag... whoever has driven this deal, United will be the beneficiary. Like with De Ligt and Mazraoui, if United can get Manuel Ugarte through the doors, it'll be another step in the right direction.