Chelsea have been constantly monitoring Sporting Lisbon midfielder Manuel Ugarte ahead of the summer transfer window as the Blues look to bolster their squad, according to Football Insider.
The online news portal claims Chelsea could sign Ugarte for £53m this summer after heavily scouting the 22-year-old at Sporting throughout the season.
The Uruguay midfielder has become one of the emerging talents in the Primeira Liga this season following his outstanding performances in the middle of the park for Sporting – who currently lie 4th in the league table with 71 points.
Ugarte, who has been an influential figure for the team since joining from Famalicao in 2021, has racked up 41 appearances and provided one assist across all competitions this term.
He featured for Uruguay at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, appearing in all three games as the South American country failed to progress past the group stage despite beating Ghana 2-1 in their final game. He was one of the brightest spots of the South American team at the tournament and several clubs are interested in making a move for him at the end of the season.
Liverpool and Newcastle have reportedly scouted him during the season as they look to augment their squads for next season with the latter set to compete in the Champions League after finishing in the top-four.
Reinforcement
However, according to Football Insider, Chelsea are in a good position to sign Ugarte and the player is keen on a move to the Premier League despite the potential of European football at Sporting next season.
The highly-rated midfielder has three years left on his current contract with the Portuguese side and if he is sold at the end of the season, Sporting are only entitled to 70 percent of the sum with his former club Famalicao able to claim the remaining 30 percent of the money.
Chelsea are planning a massive summer clear-out to meet Financial Fair Play requirements after spending £323m in the winter transfer window and splashing out close to £300m last summer.
The futures of N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Conor Gallagher are uncertain, hence the need to bring in midfield reinforcements and Ugarte has emerged as a serious transfer target.
We will have to wait and see how this develops in the coming weeks but it looks as though Chelsea are ready to step-up their interest in Ugarte and he’d be a solid addition to their squad.
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