Chelsea now 'pushing hard' to sign £53m star at Stamford Bridge | OneFootball

Chelsea target Manuel Ugarte would be an 'exciting option' and they are now 'pushing quite hard' to sign him, journalist Paul Brown has told GIVEMESPORT.

After such a catastrophic season, reinforcements could be necessary at Stamford Bridge.

Ugarte has been linked with a move away from Sporting CP after an impressive campaign with the Portuguese club.

According to a report from Record, Chelsea are interested in signing the 22-year-old.

It's understood that Ugarte could cost in the region of £53m, with Aston Villa also in the race to secure his signature.

Journalist Dean Jones recently told GIVEMESPORT that Ugarte is more of an achievable target than Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

After failing to qualify for any European competitions ahead of next season, Chelsea may have had to alter their shortlist heading into the summer transfer window.

Sporting boss Ruben Amorim has spoken about the future of Ugarte, admitting it could be difficult to keep hold of him.

He said: "Obviously it’s difficult to keep players like him, there are several clubs interested, not just one, knowing that our project is not sold and that we missed the Champions League. It makes everything more difficult."

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano recently revealed that Manchester City were close to agreeing personal terms with Mateo Kovacic, who will leave the club.

Now, Chelsea may have to find a replacement, and Ugarte could be that man.

What has Brown said about Ugarte?

Brown has suggested that Ugarte would be an exciting option for Chelsea, and it now appears they are pushing hard to sign him this summer.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: "Ugarte seems like quite an exciting option for Chelsea. He'd certainly give them a bit more energy. He's a younger player than Kovacic. They certainly seem to be pushing quite hard to sign him."

What are Chelsea interested in signing Ugarte?

Looking at his statistics this season, it's easy to see why.

Ugarte has averaged 3.9 tackles and 1.8 interceptions per game, whilst also having a pass completion of 92%, according to Sofascore.

As per WhoScored, no player in Portugal's top division has averaged more tackles per game, whilst he also has the highest pass completion percentage (of players who have started more than 10 games).