Chelsea have now missed out on Manuel Ugarte after PSG struck an agreement with Sporting CP.
That is according to Record in Portugal.
It seemed Chelsea had a great chance of signing Ugarte thanks to Todd Boehly – however, the Blues will now have to move on to other targets.
What’s the story?
Well – according to a separate story from Record – Boehly is a huge admirer of the Uruguay international, and really wanted to bring him to Stamford Bridge this summer.
A deal looked possible, as the American was described as being close with Jorge Mendes – Ugarte’s agent.
Now – however – PSG have won the race.
Record state that a €60m (£52m) deal has been sealed after the French giants paid the South American’s release clause, and he will sign a five-year contract at the Parc des Princes.
The news comes after Fabrizio Romano stated that Ugarte is definitely a concrete target for PSG, and negotiations had already taken place.
This update will come as a major blow to Boehly and Chelsea, to say the least.
Who Chelsea could sign instead of Ugarte after PSG deal
With Ugarte now heading to Paris, Chelsea will need to explore alternatives, so let’s take a look at who could arrive at Stamford Bridge instead of the Uruguayan.
One option is Moises Caicedo, with Simon Phillips telling Substack that the Blues are set to make the Ecuador international their priority midfield target when the Premier League campaign ends on Sunday.
The Evening Standard have also claimed that Alexis Mac Allister – Caicedo’s teammate at Brighton – is a target for Chelsea, although the Blues face competition from Liverpool and Manchester United.
Elsewhere – as detailed by Goal – the west Londoners have received glowing reports on Southampton wonderkid Romeo Lavia, with Chelsea said to be firm admirers of the Belgian.
Clearly, there are plenty of alternatives for Chelsea to pursue after Ugarte agreed to join PSG.