Paris Saint-Germain reportedly believe they are behind Chelsea in the race to sign Sporting CP midfielder Manuel Ugarte this summer.
Is Ugarte leaving Sporting this summer?
The 22-year-old has been the subject of so many column inches recently, with his future up in the air after an excellent season for Sporting. He is widely expected to move on from the Portuguese giants, however, with so many clubs interested in acquiring in his services ahead of the summer transfer window.
Ugarte has been constantly linked with a move to Chelsea, as the Blues aim to strengthen in the middle of the park, but they are far from alone in expressing an interest. Liverpool are also thought to be in the mix, while PSG have emerged as strong contenders, too.
There is set to be a big battle for the £16,000-a-week Uruguayan's signature, but a new update is certainly encouraging from a Blues perspective.
Are Chelsea the favourites to sign Ugarte?
According to Football Insider, "it is believed that Paris Saint-Germain are still keen to land Ugarte, but understand they are losing the race to Chelsea and have begun laying the groundwork with other targets".
Ugarte is still described as a "key target" for Chelsea, with the report also stating that personal terms are already "verbally agreed" with the Sporting hero, as has already been mooted in recent days.
The more this transfer saga goes on, the more it feels as though the Blues are in the driving seat to snap up Ugarte this summer, in what could be such a positive piece of transfer business. This is a young midfielder who is arguably one of the best in Europe at what he does, breaking up play in the No.6 role and also using the ball intelligently.
Ugarte averaged 4.2 tackles and 1.8 interceptions per game across all competitions for Sporting in 2022/23, while his technical ability is outlined with a 90.5% pass completion rate in the Primeira Liga, Champions League and Europa League combined.
He has been lauded as a "Uruguayan midfield machine" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig in the recent past, as well as someone with a "high work rate" and a "superb ability to read the game", so he ticks so many boxes when it comes to Chelsea snapping him up, also being a long-term acquisition.
It is a signing that could be so influential over a long period, but most importantly, it could help make the Blues a different animal from the off next season.
