Why did Manuel Ugarte choose PSG over Chelsea?

Manuel Ugarte will be announced sooner rather than later as a new PSG player after several twists and turns in negotiations with Sporting CP. But why will Ugarte finally land in Paris and not at Chelsea?

The Athletic has published an extensive report in which they explain the entire chronology of the negotiations between Chelsea and PSG with Sporting for the signing of the 22-year-old Uruguayan midfielder, Manuel Ugarte.

Let's start with the simplest reason: Ugarte preferred to play for PSG from the start. Period.

However, that did not stop Chelsea from bidding hard for the Uruguayan. In fact, the aforementioned media confirms the information initially shared by L'Equipe, indicating that Chelsea indeed offered Sporting to acquire a minority stake in the Portuguese club, as long as they facilitated the sale of the midfielder in question.

This triggered a domino effect that ended up hurting the London club. PSG, upon learning of this offer, began to draft a legal letter to which The Athletic had access. In it, the Parisian team expressed its doubts as to the "integrity" of Chelsea's proposal.

Chelsea offered Manuel Ugarte more money over more years than PSG

PSG cited UEFA regulations that prohibit two or more clubs from sharing ownership in continental competitions. And although Chelsea did not qualify for any this year, they could come across Sporting in future seasons.

In any case, this letter was never really sent by PSG to UEFA, as the management of the Stamford Bridge resident team withdrew from the negotiations once they became aware of PSG's intentions.

However, Chelsea leaked to the English press that they withdrew from the race because PSG offered more than they considered Manuel Ugarte worth in the current market, something that was later confirmed by The Athletic. Both developments, then, can be considered true.

In fact, according to the aforementioned media, Chelsea offered more money and a longer contract to the Portuguese midfielder. For its part, PSG would have offered €3.4m per year for five seasons.

The Athletic adds that UEFA is already planning to implement a maximum stretch of five years for the time during which a player's transfer fee can be paid.

Earlier this year, Chelsea signed several footballers, such as Mykhailo Mudryk and Wesley Fofana in agreements of up to eight years. The London team would also have offered a long-term contract to Ugarte with similar terms agreed with Sporting for the payment of his release clause, quoted at €60m.

Ugarte will join former Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar and former Real Madrid midfielder Marco Asensio as one of the three first signings made by PSG as part of their summer transfer market for now.