South American Star’s £56M Transfer To Chelsea “Could be Confirmed” As Early As “Next Week”

South American Star’s £56M Transfer To Chelsea “Could be Confirmed” As Early As “Next Week”

Uruguayan journalist Franco Fernandez is doubling down on claims that Chelsea will sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder Manuel Ugarte.

A few days ago, Fernandez suggested that the midfielder was “very close” to moving to Stamford Bridge for €65m (£56m), and he now goes as far as to say that the transfer “could be confirmed next week”:

Fernandez works for Uruguayan radio station Sport 890 and, with Ugarte being from the South American country, it appears that the journalist does have some insider information from the player’s side of things.

Reports in the UK and Europe have only claimed that Chelsea are interested in the 22-year-old, with Paris Saint-Germain believed to be the club who have advanced talks the furthest.

Whether other news outlets will start to back Fernandez’s assertions, we shall have to wait and see.

Why are Chelsea paying above Ugarte’s release clause?

It is widely known that the midfielder can be signed for €60m (£52m) if a club is prepared to pay the buyout fee. However, to trigger it, you have to be willing to stump up the full amount upfront.

Due to Financial Fair Play considerations, Chelsea may be willing to go above the release clause so they can make payments in installments.

David Tully

David Tully

David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for National World's Football News Network.