“Official bid”: Chelsea set to battle with PSG for Manuel Ugarte

Chelsea are in the hunt for a top midfielder this summer but their pursuit of Manuel Ugarte could end prematurely

According to Fabrizio Romano, Paris Saint-Germain has launched an official bid for Manuel Ugarte. The Uruguayan midfielder has a release clause of £52.2M but PSG has reportedly sent a bid with a different structure than the clause. Reliable French journalist Santi Aouna believes that PSG has submitted a bid that will reach the release clause but it has installments. Santi further states that Chelsea (and Newcastle) have let Sporting know they are willing to meet the release clause number.

What will be worrying for Chelsea is that Luis Campos and Jorge Mendes have reached a verbal agreement on the contract for Ugarte, per Santi Aouna.

As reported by The Top Flight, Mason Mount looks set to leave Chelsea and the club wants to a substantial fee for the midfielder. While the club does have to be careful of FFP rules, selling Mount can help with reaching Ugarte’s release clause.

Manuel Ugarte is not the only midfielder being tracked by Chelsea. Moises Caicedo, Declan Rice and Romeo Lavia are just some of the top choices being linked to Stamford Bridge.

Manuel Ugarte has become a key figure in Sporting’s midfield and one of the rising stars in Portugal. Undoubtedly the biggest strength of Ugarte is his physicality. He is not afraid to get a foot in or make a crunching tackle. Some similarities can be drawn between Ugarte and current Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante.

Throughout his managerial career, soon-to-be Chelsea gaffer Mauricio Pochettino likes to play with two central midfielders. Enzo Fernandez is a shoo-in to start in such a midfield but it becomes a potential battle between Ugarte, Kante and Kovacic for the final spot. It goes without saying that Chelsea needs to shed some players off. Perhaps by the end of the summer, there won’t be as much clutter in the Chelsea midfield, and Ugarte’s path to joining Chelsea comes more realistic.