Todd Boehly is an admirer of Liverpool target Manuel Ugarte and will try to lure him to Chelsea this summer.
That is according to Record in Portugal, who add that Aston Villa are also interested in signing the Sporting CP No.15 at the end of the season.
While Chelsea may not be able to offer Ugarte European football, the Blues seemingly have an advantage over Liverpool and Aston Villa.
What’s the story?
Well, the Portuguese news outlet believe Boehly is close to Jorge Mendes – who is in charge of negotiations regarding the Uruguay international’s future.
Record state that Chelsea are a “new option” for Ugarte with Liverpool and Aston Villa already making their interest known across the past few weeks.
The South American has risen to fame this season with a string of consistently excellent performances for Sporting CP, making 46 appearances across all competitions as he helped the Portuguese giants reach the Europa League Quarter-Final.
Record state that Chelsea are expected to bid for Ugarte, and Mendes is set to meet Sporting CP President Frederico Varandas in the coming days to discuss the 22-year-old’s future.
The Uruguayan has a €60m (£52m) release clause written into his contract.
Do Chelsea need Ugarte?
While there is no denying that Ugarte is a fine footballer, Chelsea must stop to reassess their options, especially as The Athletic believe sales must be made before June 30th in order for the Blues to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.
Mauricio Pochettino usually lines up with a 4-2-3-1 formation like he did at Tottenham, which means he is likely to name two traditional central midfielders in his starting XI with an attacking midfielder ahead of them.
As things stand, Chelsea already have N’Golo Kante and Enzo Fernandez, both of whom could form a world class partnership under the Argentine.
In reserve, Pochettino could also call upon Carney Chukwuemeka and Conor Gallagher.
Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are also options if they stay at Stamford Bridge.
In our view, a move for Ugarte should only happen if Chelsea lose a couple of central midfielders this summer.