Man Utd ‘attempting to hijack’ Mauricio Pochettino’s first Chelsea signing

Manchester United have reportedly joined the hunt for Sporting’s Manuel Ugarte as they attempt to snatch Mauricio Pochettino’s first Chelsea signing from under his nose. The Argentine was finally unveiled as the new Blues boss on Monday and he is already said to have sanctioned a big-money move for the Uruguayan international, who has quickly become one of Europe’s hottest commodities in weeks gone by.

Chelsea looked to be on pole to land Ugarte as the player was understood to favour a move to Stamford Bridge over joining Paris Saint-Germain.

Yet that could now change as A Bola are reporting that Manchester United have entered the fray which could prove problematic for Pochettino.

He has already made it clear internally in west London that he wants the 22-year-old combative midfielder and there is cautious optimism he could be the first arrival of the new era.

However, Sporting could now get the bidding war they desire as interest in Ugarte continues to snowball.

First Liverpool were said to be at the table but their interest is not believed to be as serious as reported.

Then Aston Villa and Tottenham were tipped as potential suitors but it appears a three-way battle is now emerging between Chelsea, Manchester United and PSG.

Chelsea have already reportedly tabled a substantial proposal while PSG are also prepared to match Ugarte’s £52million release clause.

At this stage, it is not currently known how deep United are prepared to dip their hands into their pockets to land the Uruguayan.

The Red Devils are looking for another midfielder though with Marcel Sabitzer set to return to Bayern Munich and the Austrian is not expected to sign for United permanently.

Declan Rice is another player of admiration but Bayern and Arsenal are believed to be ahead of the Red Devils in the race.

Fred could also be heading for the exit door with Fulham understood to be keen on signing the Brazilian.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are in the hunt for midfield reinforcements as they could sanction a number of crucial departures this summer.

Mason Mount looks headed for Manchester United while Mateo Kovacic’s future is also up for debate.

N’Golo Kante is still yet to commit to a new contract sparking fears he could actually be on course to depart after seven years at Chelsea.

Pochettino is set to display his ruthless streak now he has officially replaced Frank Lampard and he has wasted no time at all in ditching Joao Felix, who has become the first high-profile departure of his regime.

Felix spent the second half of the season on loan at Chelsea but after only scoring four Premier League goals, Pochettino has decided he does not want to sign the Portuguese permanently.