With Mauricio Pochettino giving the move the go-ahead as one of his first significant decisions since being unveiled as the new manager at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have made the Uruguayan international a key midfield target and have increased their bid to recruit Manuel Ugarte this summer.
The 22-year-old’s release clause has already been indicated as something Chelsea intends to exercise, and now, according to Record, they’ve raised their wage offer to €3.5 million (£3.1 million), along with a number of performance-based incentives and bonuses.
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Compared to Chelsea’s prior offer of €2 million, it is a significant rise, but it is still less than the € 5 million package put up by Paris Saint-Germain, who are also interested in signing the midfielder as part of their rebuild.
Pochettino is reportedly rumoured to have spoken with the player directly to aid in closing the deal, although PSG is thought to have provided Sporting with more agreeable transfer fee terms.
Ugarte’s €60 million (£51.5 million) release clause has been provided by Chelsea in several installments, but PSG is willing to break the cost into two payments of €30 million (£25.7 million).
It’s believed that Chelsea also tried to convince Sporting to reject their offer to add striker David Datro Fofana in the exchange for Ugarte.
Moises Caicedo, a standout for Brighton who is slated to leave the AMEX Stadium this summer for roughly £80 million, is also a target for Chelsea.
The 24-year-old England international is currently being pursued by Manchester United, who have reached a personal agreement to bring him to Old Trafford. United and Chelsea have yet to agree on a fee, with the London club apparently asking up to £75 million for the player.
