Chelsea have pulled out of the race to sign Sporting CP midfielder Manuel Ugarte.
Ugarte was heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge as Mauricio Pochettino tries to bolster his midfield options this summer. However, Mirror Football now understands that Chelsea are no longer pursuing Ugarte after Paris Saint-Germain lodged a considerably higher offer.
Both Chelsea and PSG triggered the £52million clause in Ugarte's contract, but, in a dramatic twist, the French club increased their bid in an attempt to lure the Uruguayan to the Parc des Princes. Ugarte is now expected to make the switch to the Ligue 1 champions on a long-term contract.
The 22-year-old has been impressive for Sporting this season and stood out in their Europa League penalty shootout victory over Arsenal in February. The Portuguese side edged out the Gunners on penalties after a 3-3 draw on aggregate, with Ugarte shining in midfield that night.
But Chelsea will have to look at alternative options and are now tracking moves for Brighton's Moises Caicedo and Southampton star Romeo Lavia. Both have Premier League pedigree and Chelsea are more than aware of what they could offer to the Blues side, having played against them in 2022/23.
This isn't the first time Chelsea have been linked with Caicedo. The Ecuadorian was tipped to join the Blues in January but he decided to stay at Brighton and Enzo Fernandez made the record-breaking move to west London instead. Arsenal, who were also tracking Caicedo in the winter, are set to come back in for him this summer.
As for Lavia, he had a terrific breakthrough season at Southampton despite their relegation to the Championship. Saints finished 20th after a horrific campaign in the Premier League, but Belgium international Lavia was a shining light in their midfield and is expected to secure a top-flight switch this summer.
However, Chelsea are going to have to sell players after spending almost £600m in the past 12 months. Mason Mount could be the first victim of a mass exodus, with Manchester United sniffing around for a potential move. Mount has one year left on his contract at the Blues and is expected to leave.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mateo Kovacic, Christian Pulisic and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang are set to depart the Blues as Pochettino reshapes his squad, while Kai Havertz has been linked with a big-money move to Real Madrid.
Havertz is said to be Carlo Ancelotti's 'dream player', with Los Blancos president Florentino Perez also thought to be a big fan following the departure of Karim Benzema on Sunday.
A 'mega deal' is being proposed, with hopes that it can be completed very quickly. Havertz was Chelsea's top scorer in the season just gone, but he has struggled with consistency since arriving at Stamford Bridge in 2020.
