Chelsea have been sent back to the drawing board with Paris Saint-Germain set to trump them to the signing of Manuel Ugarte. Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly decided which two midfielders he wants to pursue next, with the Blues hoping to bounce back quickly from their early summer transfer blow.
Ugarte was thought to favour a move to Chelsea over PSG, and reports last week indicated that completing the deal was merely a formality. But the French giants have since upped their offer to a level the Blues aren’t willing to match.
Rather than slap more money on the table, which may have happened at the start of co-owner Todd Boehly’s reign, Chelsea are poised to walk away from Ugarte as they do not want to pay significantly above his market rate.
They were reportedly willing to pay in excess of the 22-year-old’s £52million release clause, so Pochettino will have plenty of spare cash to pursue alternative options.
TalkSPORT claim that the Blues have already turned their attention to Brighton star Moises Caicedo and Southampton youngster Romeo Lavia. Both players have been heavily linked with Stamford Bridge over the past 12 months.
Chelsea reportedly made a £55m bid for Caicedo in January, which was quickly rejected by Brighton. Meanwhile, they supposedly tried and failed to steal Lavia last summer, just weeks after the Saints signed him from Manchester City.
“I think it could have been the last game of Alexis [Mac Allister] and Moises [Caicedo],” explained Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi after a final-day defeat to Aston Villa. “I am really sorry because they are two great people and two great players.
“But the policy of Brighton is like this and we have to accept it. I think it is right they can leave, they can change teams and they can play at a higher level. We are ready I think. We have to find other big players to play without Alexis and Moises.”
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