Chelsea have reportedly won the race to sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder Manuel Ugarte after agreeing to pay more than his release clause. The Blues, under new boss Mauricio Pochettino, are looking to rebuild their midfield as a matter of urgency due to looming departures and quickly made the Uruguay international their top target. After two weeks of intense meetings between Chelsea, Sporting, PSG and Ugarte’s representatives, including Jorge Mendes, the 22-year-old has decided to move to the Premier League. Chelsea have agreed to pay more than Ugarte’s €60million (£52m) release clause, offering an additional €5m (£4.3m) in order to avoid paying the whole fee up front. Sporting have accepted the terms and it is believed that PSG were unwilling to go any higher with their offer.
Ugarte has long harboured a desire to play in the Premier League and that ultimately proved to be the decisive factor in talks. He is expected to fly to London in the coming days to complete a medical and could be unveiled as the first signing of the Pochettino era by the end of the week. Ugarte has enjoyed an excellent campaign for Sporting, both domestically and in Europe, and has marked himself out as one of the most promising young defensive midfielders in the world; he completed more tackles (121) than any other player in the Portuguese league this past season.