Tottenham are among the sides interested in Sporting Club de Portugal midfielder Manuel Ugarte, having been convinced when they came up against him this season.
That’s according to O Jogo, who say the Uruguayan could be sold this summer as the Portuguese side look to raise funds to balance the books.
The newspaper explains that after being knocked out of the Europa League, and with Champions League qualification for next season looking increasingly unlikely, Sporting need to sell players in the summer transfer window.
They want to raise between €80-100m and Ugarte is the player in the squad who is ‘most quoted’ for a possible transfer.
His current release clause is set at €60m and it is likely they will push for that to be matched, although if they can secure a deal that gets them to at least €80m when added to the €42.5m they got from Tottenham for Pedro Porro in January, they will be happy.
At the moment they are yet to make a significant move for Ugarte, and it is claimed they are waiting to see where they finish in the league, and who their next manager is, before moving.
However, they do like the Uruguayan after he ‘convinced’ against them in games earlier this year after they met in the Champions League group stages.
Whether that sees Tottenham return to Sporting to negotiate for another of their stars remains to be seen, but the interest is there and the likelihood of a sale high.
