West Ham United eye Sporting Lisbon midfielder Manuel Ugarte amid £50m development
West Ham United are interested in Sporting CP midfielder Manuel Ugarte along with a host of Premier League sides, according to 90min.
90min claim (11 May) that Liverpool, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Wolves and West Ham have all watched the 22-year-old, who is having a “stellar” season for the Portuguese club.
It’s believed that interested parties value Ugarte at around £30million, which is £20million short of the £50million release clause in his contract.
However, it’s understood the Uruguayan will depart The Primeira Liga side in the summer, with a resolution found in the next couple of weeks.
Out of reach
Considering West Ham thrashed out a similar size deal for Lucas Paqueta last summer, this is a move which does look rather unlikely. Sporting are going to dig their heels in over the midfielder. He could well be a Declan Rice replacement, but, signing Ugarte to replace the England international would be a risk.
When Rice does depart the club, replacing the 24-year-old will be the most important task undertaken in years. He’s proven himself to be one of the best midfielders in the Premier League for a number of years. He deserves to move on, and it will be interesting to see how the Hammers replace him.
Do they look to sign multiple players in the £30million price bracket or do they look for a like-for-like replacement? These are the tough decisions the board have to make.
Urgate certainly looks like a quality player, however, considering the widespread interest in the midfielder, this looks like an unlikely move for the Hammers to pursue.