Chelsea have made a unique offer to Sporting Lisbon for midfielder Manuel Ugarte and are also ready to pay over his release clause, according to reports out of Portugal.
What's the latest Chelsea transfer news?
The Blues and incoming manager Mauricio Pochettino have reportedly been making transfer plans ahead of the summer window, and one which will be crucial after a disastrous Premier League season for owner Todd Boehly.
Chelsea are set to miss out on European football and all the riches that go with it, not to mention they are resigned to finishing in the bottom half, despite spending over £530 million since last summer.
It's now back to the drawing board for Boehly and co as they look to back Pochettino and turn their fortunes around, with a star striker being eyed at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are also set to bolster other key areas of the squad, including central midfield, with Sporting's Ugarte thought to be a firm target among others.
Brighton's Moises Caicedo, Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich and Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot are other names to have been mentioned in recent weeks, though a very intriguing report concerning Ugarte will be of interest to supporters.
According to Portuguese site A Bola, as also translated by Sport Witness, Chelsea are very eager to sign the Uruguay international have "already informed" Sporting they're willing to "beat the value" of his release clause – thought to be around £52 million.
What's more, Chelsea have also made a unique proposal to the Primiera Liga side on top of this – having offered them a player on loan and one of their "preference" to beat off the competition.
Paris-Saint Germain are also in the race for Ugarte, but Chelsea have gone a step further with their part-exchange loan offer.
A Bola add that the defensive midfielder is certain to leave Sporting this summer in a further promising development.
Who is Manuel Ugarte?
The South American star has been pivotal under Ruben Amorim over 2022/2023 – featuring among their most regularly-selected players.
Ugarte has also averaged more tackles and interceptions per 90 than any Sporting player, not to mention a higher pass accuracy (91.8%) than all of his teammates with over eight league starts (WhoScored).
Standing out as both a tidy midfield player and tenacious tackler, the international has also been revered by members of the media, with podcaster and writer Dave Hendrick calling him a "monster".
His disciplinary record will be one to watch out for, though, with Ugarte picking up a seismic 11 bookings in the league alone this season.