Chelsea reach agreement to sign Manuel Ugarte for €60m - but ...
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Chelsea and Sporting CP have reportedly agreed a €60 million (£52m/$64m) deal for Manuel Ugarte, but Paris Saint-Germain could still sign him instead.
WHAT HAPPENED? The Blues are a step ahead of PSG in the race to sign Ugarte, Foot Mercato reports. As well as matching the midfielder's release clause, they are willing to cover the solidarity payments that will go to the other clubs that helped train the Uruguay international.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Having failed to qualify for the Champions League next season, Sporting must sell players to raise funds and have accepted that Ugarte will leave amid the intense interest. PSG had been the favourites to sign the 22-year-old as they had also been willing to trigger his release clause, while the player himself wanted to join the French champions, coming to a verbal agreement over a five-year contract.
AND WHAT'S MORE: However, the Ligue 1 side seem to be backing out of the deal as they appear unwilling to match Chelsea's current offer. The Stamford Bridge side have already come to a personal agreement with Ugarte and are waiting to exchange official documents with Sporting to complete the deal. The Portuguese club are inviting PSG to raise their offer, though, due to the fact they successfully negotiated terms ahead of Chelsea in the first place.
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WHAT NEXT FOR UGARTE? The former Famalicao player will await news on his future as the clubs finalise the deal, with Chelsea eager to get Ugarte on their books before turning to other key targets as Mauricio Pochettino's tenure as manager gets underway.
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