Romano claims Chelsea are ‘very confident’ of signing 22-year-old PSG target

Fabrizio Romano says Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Manuel Ugarte

According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are currently in advance negotiations to finalise Manuel Ugarte’s move to West London.

The youngster’s wages were a problem in the past, but the Blues boosted them to entice him to Stamford Bridge out of concern that Paris Saint-Germain might sign him before them.

Both the English and French team were willing to waive his €60 million release clause, despite the fact that PSG’s salaries were higher than what the Blues were prepared to pay Ugarte.

However, the Blues have just boosted their pay, which now includes bonuses, making their offer more appealing, according to the source.

Ugarte to Chelsea is close

Even though the 22-year-old Uruguayan has not signed a personal contract, Sporting are pressuring him to join Chelsea. However, Chelsea are close to finalising the deal.

And the incoming manager of the Blues, Mauricio Pochettino, has personally asked the team to sign Ugarte and has even spoken with the midfielder to persuade him to join Chelsea. This seems like a deal we should be getting over the line in the coming weeks.

Now, it appears as though there is optimism that the agreement will go through with Chelsea, but it is still impossible to be absolutely certain because, in the end, the other team could make a generous offer and derail the deal.

The project at Chelsea is exciting. PSG virtually guarantee at least one domestic trophy each year given their quality and dominance, but with the Blues, Ugarte can hope to get much more limelight if he is part of a team that rises from the ashes to become an English giant again following a recent stutter.

More Chelsea News:

• Chelsea will need to fork out £40m to secure Brentford star David Raya
• Thiago Silva comments on post claiming Chelsea’s Mason Mount has agreed terms with Manchester United
• “It’s been a tough time”: 26-year-old confirms he won’t be at Chelsea next season

Ugarte can hope to be a first-team regular, given N’Golo Kante’s age, injuries and uncertain future along with Jorginho’s exit in January. Enzo Fernandez and the Uruguay midfielder would make for a superb double pivot. Bring on the good times.