After signing Benfica’s star central midfielder in January, Chelsea may be about to double down by signing their cross town rivals Sporting CP’s star midfielder in June.
Yesterday morning we noted reports from Portuguese sports paper Record that PSG had already made a €60m offer for Manuel Ugarte which meets his release clause. Chelsea have decided to get involved, and have made a matching offer.
Sporting can’t incite a bidding war – both bids meet the release clause so the player will get to decide.
You’d think PSG have the edge – they win the title almost every year, pay crazy wages and will be in the Champions League. Chelsea, on the other hand, are a mess. But it may not be that simple. Today’s copy of Record has an update on the story adding the news of the Chelsea bid, and they say that the lure of the Premier League as a whole may tempt Ugarte to choose Stamford Bridge over the Parc des Princes.
Either way, with no transfer haggling necessary, this deal could happen very quickly. Even fans who haven’t seen much or any of the Uruguay international will understand the appeal at a fixed, reasonable price. Ugarte is a tenacious, tough tackling midfielder who would slot in perfectly alongside Enzo Fernandez in the heart of our midfield, hopefully ready to power us to titles in the future for years to come.
Chelsea should announce potechinno now.So that he starts his job for next season now.