Underachieving English giants Chelsea are primed to continue their heavy spending under Todd Boehley and Behdad Eghbali after reports that the Blues have closed on completing a deal for Sporting CP midfielder Manuel Ugarte.
Football insider Fabrizio Romano, Portuguese outlet Record, and other sources offered further details surrounding the possible summer move, with Chelsea said to complete the €60m (£53m) deal next week for the 22-year-old Uruguayan international after triggering the player’s release clause.
More on Manuel Ugarte deal. Chelsea hope to fix final details, get contracts done next week. 🚨🔵⏳ #CFC
Club very confident, waiting on final steps but careful until the end. https://t.co/bOtg7IT3pg
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 3, 2023
The deal would signal the first foray into the summer transfer market for the Blues under new boss Mauricio Pochettino since the former Tottenham boss’ arrival at Stamford Bridge.
Ugarte’s arrival would see him line up alongside former SL Benfica starlet Enzo Fernández, who joined Chelsea in a record deal in the immediate aftermath of Argentina’s World Cup win in Qatar, which saw Fernández turn into a global name after a string of impressive performances.
Given the age profile of both Ugarte and Fernández, the Blues seem to have honed in on their preferred central partnership for the foreseeable future, with the likes of Mason Mount, Mateo Kovačić, and Denis Zakaria all likely exiting this summer.
It remains to be seen how the Blues will recover enough cash to support further spending this summer on the back of splashing ~£600m across the first two transfer windows under new ownership, with some suggesting that the club will face possible FFP sanctions if they are incapable of selling well this summer.
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