As the Blues agree to pay over the release clause, Manuel Ugarte chooses Chelsea over PSG.

After agreeing to pay more than Manuel Ugarte’s release clause, rumors claim that Chelsea has won the race to sign the Sporting Lisbon midfielder.

Due to a number of impending departures, Chelsea’s new manager Mauricio Pochettino has made Uruguayan international Ugarte his main goal in an effort to urgently rebuild the midfield.

Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount, two contract rebels whose contracts expire in 2024, are both anticipated to be sold, while N’Golo Kante’s contract expires at the end of this month.

Chelsea has returned to Lisbon to address the issue after pursuing a new defensive midfielder to partner club record acquisition Enzo Fernandez.

For several weeks, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have been squabbling over Ugarte. Now, Portuguese tabloid Record claims Chelsea has “closed the deal.”

The 22-year-old has decided to transfer to the Premier League following two weeks of heated negotiations between Chelsea, Sporting, PSG, and Ugarte’s advisors, notably Jorge Mendes.

In order to avoid paying the entire sum up front, Chelsea have actually agreed to pay more than Ugarte’s €60 million (£52 million) release clause, providing an additional €5 million (£4.3 million).

Sporting has agreed to the terms, and it’s said that PSG was unwilling to raise their offer because they were frustrated with way the deal had been mishandled. Sporting has accepted the terms.

Ugarte was actually offered a better wage by the Parisians to transfer to the Parc des Princes, but Chelsea countered with a longer-term deal on less favorable terms, as they have done with most of their new acquisitions.

Ugarte was ready to sign a contract with PSG worth £4.3 million annually, or around £82,000 per week, but the deal at Stamford Bridge will only pay him £3 million annually, or £57,000 per week, with a contract that is anticipated to be longer than six years.

The desire to play in the Premier League, which Ugarte has long harbored, ultimately proved to be the deciding factor in negotiations.

The Uruguayan could be presented as the first signing of the Pochettino era before the end of the week after flying to London to complete a medical.

As one of the most promising young defensive midfielders in the world, Ugarte has had a standout season for Sporting, both domestically and in Europe. This past season, he completed more tackles (121) than any other player in the Portuguese league.