Chelsea seem to have a big problem in their quest to sign Manuel Ugarte from Sporting.
Even though the player is keen on joining the Blues this summer, Portuguese newspaper Record comes up to explain why this race is getting difficult for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
It’s well known that Chelsea and Paris Saint Germain are both willing to trigger Ugarte’s €60m release clause, so Sporting don’t mind where he’s going. Now what is very different is the salary those clubs are offering.
According to Record, the London side are putting €2m per year on the table, while the French have €5m waiting for the midfielder.
This ‘galactic difference’ is said to be making Ugarte’s head ‘spin’, because even though he ‘prefers’ Chelsea’s project, that’s a lot of money to give up on.
The curious thing is that the move to Stamford Bridge seemed pretty advanced.
Record explains that this salary offer was made by Todd Boehly himself in a meeting with the player and his representative Jorge Chijane, as well as intermediary Jorge Mendes.
It’s said Ugarte wanted to sign for the Blues and saw the agreement as ‘nearly closed’. Now he’s no longer sure, and Chelsea can’t raise their numbers much because of the Financial Fair Play. The newspaper claims Mauricio Pochettino may still call the midfielder to convince him.
