A year ago
Italy's Serie A closed on Sunday night after some exciting matches from the first to the last day of the 2022/23 season. The league has just a few games left for the players to have their summer break before the pre-season kicks off tonight. Pre-season is a time for players to develop and prepare for the new season.
There are a few things that still have to be decided in Italy's Serie A before the final day, namely Europa League qualification as well as teams that will be relegated. However, after Sunday's game, things settled down and three of the twenty teams relegated to Serie B. Napoli, Lazio, Inter Milan and AC Milan have qualified for the Champions League. Atalanta played enthusiastically against Monza on the last day to comfortably secure a place in next season's Europa League qualifiers. AC Milan easily won 3-1 against Verona to close the season. Roma and Juventus took three small points to say goodbye to their fans.
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Chelsea's summer rebuild will soon end with Todd Boehly once again reaching for his transfer checkbook.
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is gearing up for his first signing of the summer as reports in Portugal claim Manuel Ugarte's transfer has 'closed'. The Uruguayan is said to favor a move to the Premier League over the interest of Paris Saint-Germain, with Blues fans seemingly unable to wait for an official announcement.
Pochettino could be very pleased with the move of his former club PSG to sign Ugarte. The 22-year-old is considered one of Europe's most promising defensive midfielders and both teams are ready to meet his £52m release clause. However, Record insists Ugarte chose Chelsea over PSG and the transfer was 'closed'. As such, official confirmation could be imminent, with the Premier League window set to open on June 14.
The Uruguayan is said to have chosen Stamford Bridge despite being promised a lower salary - around £60,000 a week - than PSG were willing to pay.
If Ugarte completes the deal, Pochettino will have a solid backing in the South American midfielders, Argentina World Cup champion Enzo Fernandez will certainly play an important role under the former Tottenham manager.
Ugarte is set to leave Sporting Lisbon after two full seasons and 85 first-team appearances. They signed him from Famalicao in 2021 and could take away £56m from the Chelsea deal if other future bonuses are activated.
Ugarte's exact role in the Chelsea squad will depend on the extent of their squad overhaul this summer. Midfielder Mateo Kovacic is said to be in talks to join Manchester City while Denis Zakaria has been returned to Juventus after a loan spell.
Meanwhile, N'Golo Kante's contract expires in a few weeks, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek set to sign for AC Milan and Mason Mount being closely linked with Manchester United and Liverpool.
Conor Gallagher's future is also set, but Pochettino has told senior Stamford Bridge officials that the 23-year-old academy graduate is part of his long-term plans. If Ugarte becomes Chelsea's first signing this summer, he will be joined by several others as Boehly and his teammates also want to sign a goalkeeper and striker before the start of the season. next prize.
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