Chelsea pulling out of the Manuel Ugarte transfer race late into Sunday evening came as quite the shock. For weeks the Blues appeared deep in negotiations to sign the 22-year-old with new manager Mauricio Pochettino even calling him in an attempt to convince Chelsea would be a better move for him than Paris Saint-Germain.
The €60million (£51m) release clause in his Sporting CP contract made initial talks very simple, but with two clubs in the race, personal terms, bonuses and add-ons looked set to be crucial in Ugarte deciding his preferred destination. In the latter two factors, Chelsea held the upper hand, but PSG always put forward the better salary proposal and that is ultimately where this transfer saga has been decided.
According to Record in Portugal, €5million (£4.3m) was PSG's first offer to Ugarte while Chelsea were willing to part ways with €2million (£1.7m) to agree on a contract. Despite the gap, the Parisians were still playing second fiddle to Chelsea - that was until they doubled their proposal to Ugarte which caught Chelsea completely off guard.
