Chelsea shortlist two Brighton midfielders as Manuel Ugarte alternatives

There are three things which are inevitable in life – Death, taxes, and Chelsea overspending in the transfer market.

This summer is bound to be no different as Mauricio Pochettino takes charge of his first transfer window as Chelsea boss. The club will look to rectify their previous mistakes by selling some deadwood players, freeing up space in the squad and recuperating some of their losses.

However, the fact that this summer is about selling players doesn’t mean Pochettino won’t want to sign some new players. Whenever Todd Boehly is involved, you can almost guarantee a lot of money is going to be spent on incomings.

The most recent name to be thrown is Manuel Ugarte. We reported earlier today that Chelsea had agreed personal terms with the Sporting CP midfielder. In doing so, they had beat the likes of Liverpool. However, they still need to discuss with the club as paying his release clause in one lumpsum could be costly for FFP reasons.

Chelsea shortlist two Brighton midfielders as Manuel Ugarte alternatives

Luckily for Chelsea fans, the club has two backup options up their sleeve should the deal for Manuel Ugarte fall through.

According to The Guardian, other midfielders including Brighton and Hove Albion duo Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo are being considered as backup options to Ugarte.

It looks certain that both Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo will leave the Seagulls this summer, despite them qualifying for Europe. According to our Brighton transfer news, Mac Allister has a 100% chance of leaving and Caicedo has a 90% chance of leaving.

Signing a midfielder is a position of utmost importance to Mauricio Pochettino. Chelsea seem to function better when they have a “destroyer” number 6, as demonstrated with previous Chelsea icons such as Claude Makelele, Michael Essien and N’Golo Kante (in his prime).

Do you think Chelsea will sign Manuel Ugarte?