Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is honing in on his first signing of the summer as reports in Portugal claim the transfer of Manuel Ugarte is ‘closed’. The Uruguayan is thought to favour a Premier League move over interest from Paris Saint-Germain, with Blues fans unlikely to be far away from an official announcement.
Pochettino may take great satisfaction in pipping his former club, PSG, to Ugarte’s signature. The 22-year-old is viewed as one of the most exciting defensive midfield prospects in Europe and both teams were willing to meet his £52million release clause.
However, Record claim that Ugarte has chosen Chelsea over PSG and the transfer deal is ‘closed’. Official confirmation could therefore be just around the corner, with the Premier League window set to open on June 14.
The Uruguayan has reportedly chosen Stamford Bridge despite the promise of a lower salary – around £60,000 a week – than PSG were willing to pay.
If Ugarte completes his move, Pochettino will have a solid foundation of South American midfielders at his disposal, with Argentine World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez sure to play an important part under the former Tottenham boss.
Ugarte is set to ditch Sporting Lisbon after two full seasons and 85 first-team appearances. They signed him from Famalicao in 2021 and could bank £56m from the Chelsea deal if future add-on bonuses are triggered.
Conor Gallagher’s future is also up in the air, but Pochettino has reportedly informed senior figures at Stamford Bridge that the 23-year-old academy graduate features in his long-term plans.
If Ugarte becomes Chelsea’s first signing of the summer, he is expected to be joined by several others as Boehly and co also want to recruit a goalkeeper and a striker before the start of next season.
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