Chelsea agree on personal terms with PSG target

22-year-old could be set for a move to Premier League club

Chelsea are reportedly closer to signing a crucial defensive midfielder after reaching a personal agreement with Manuel Ugarte and his representative.

In the last few days, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain became widely involved in a deal for Ugarte, who has had a strong breakout campaign at Sporting Lisbon this year.

Chelsea's need for a player who profiles as a No.6 has been extensively reported for a while now.

Mauricio Pochettino, the next manager of Chelsea, reportedly personally requested the Blues administration to invest in Ugarte this summer to cover a critical position for the Stamford Bridge team, according to a report by Fabrizio Romano earlier in the day.

In the past 30 minutes, journalist Rob Pratley has responded to Romano's tweet by stating that Chelsea and the Uruguayan player's agent Jorge Mendes had reached a personal agreement, with only the issue of payment remaining to be resolved.

Ugarte is rumoured to have a £52 million buyout clause, but Pratley knows that the Blues are probably going to shell out for the 22-year-old differently, similar to how they paid for Enzo Fernandez in their agreement.

If that is any indication, Chelsea supporters can feel quite confident in their efforts to sign Ugarte, who would immediately join the team's midfield, probably along with Fernandez, making a genuinely formidable midfield duo.

Ugarte graduated from Fénix's development programme and was elevated to the main team in 2016. He signed up with Famalico of the Portuguese Primeira Liga in December 2021.

After a strong first half of the season, Ugarte joined Sporting CP of the Primeira Liga, where he won the Taça da Liga in his debut season, and now will be on a big move to Premier League sides once the transfer market opens.