Newcastle United’s chase for Sporting midfielder Manuel Ugarte gets a couple of mentions in the Portuguese media today.
Newspaper Jornal de Notícias is the one highlighting the Magpies’ interest, claiming that despite the pursuit from other Premier League clubs, it’s Eddie Howe’s side who watch the 22-year-old ‘more attentively’.
It had already been reported that Newcastle would send a scout to see the player in action against Juventus in the Europa League quarter-finals, and that’s now confirmed by the outlet.
Another newspaper mentioning Newcastle’s interest in the Uruguayan is Record.
Their story is actually about the player’s agent, Jorge Chijane, planning a visit to Portugal in May. There, he and Jorge Mendes will discuss the potential scenarios for the summer.
Ugarte currently has a €60m release clause, and given his staff’s resistance to agreeing to a new deal which would raise that to €80m, that first amount should indeed be his price tag this window.
