Chelsea are set to host Paris Saint-Germain to sign Sporting defensive midfielder Manuel Ugarte in the summer transfer window.
Manuel Ugarte is on Chelsea's transfer wish list but PSG are also racing (Image:
RECEIVE)
Chelsea have told Sporting they are ready to meet Paris Saint-Germain's £52m offer for Manuel Ugarte. The 22-year-old Uruguayan is quickly becoming one of Europe's most coveted players ahead of the summer transfer window and it appears the Blues are not ready for the defensive midfielder to join the French giants. without dispute.
On Thursday morning, reports from Portugal and France indicated that PSG were getting closer to signing Ugarte.
Indeed, the reigning Ligue 1 champions are ready to meet his £52m release clause after having discussed personal terms with the player. But now comes a late turn as Brazilian journalist Bruno Andrade is now reporting that Chelsea have entered the fray.
It is reported that the Blues have made it clear that they will accommodate PSG's offer after recently bringing a club representative to Lisbon.
Sporting CP v SL Benfica - Portuguese Liga Bwin
Chelsea are said to be willing to match Manuel Ugarte's release clause with PSG's proposal (Image:
Getty)
Aston Villa, Tottenham and Liverpool have all been closely linked with Ugarte, but none of them have yet made their move.
This means that Ugarte's future could depend on the player himself as he will likely have the final say on the transfer.
Sports coach Ruben Amorim says he cannot guarantee Ugarte will stay at the club beyond the summer transfer window. "We know it's very difficult to keep players like Ugarte. A number of clubs are interested," said Amorim.
"Our goal was to sell, knowing we missed the Champions League and that made things more difficult. I knew what I wanted and I passed that on to the board."
Jorge Mendes is dealing with the Uruguayan's future and is said to have made PSG's offer to Sporting.
Chelsea have yet to reveal Mauricio Pochettino as their next head coach but an agreement has been reached with the Argentinian. The Blues are said to be working on a summer transfer for their new boss behind the scenes.
With Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount and likely N'Golo Kante leaving Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are in dire need of midfield additions this summer.
The club remain optimistic Kante will stay, but he has yet to finalize a contract extension, with his current contract set to expire this summer.
Mount appears to be eyeing Manchester United while Kovacic has also attracted interest from the Red Devils, Manchester City and Bayern Munich.
Chelsea must prioritize selling players before they start spending excessively this summer after being placed on FIFA's Financially Manual Player Watch List.
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