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Chelsea are set to meet the release clause of £52 million for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Manuel Ugarte.
Liverpool, though, are also showing interest in the player, who is expected to make known his preferred choice of destination soon.
He is known to want to join a Champions League club, but Chelsea still have hopes of persuading him and making him the first new player of the Mauricio Pochettino era at Stamford Bridge.
The Uruguayan international has acquired a reputation as one of the best young defensive midfielders in Europe, known for his clean tackling but also accurate passing.
And with no resolution on the future of N’Golo Kanté at the West London club, Ugarte would be a fine replacement for him.
He is viewed as an ideal partner for record signing Enzo Fernandez, and his arrival could give the Argentine more creative freedom in the side next season.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.