Liverpool’s hopes of landing one of their midfield targets appear all but over after Manuel Ugarte apparently agreed to join Chelsea.
The Uruguayan midfielder has been one of the names mentioned as the Reds look to bring in a number of midfield players over the summer.
Jurgen Klopp has identified the middle of the park as they key area for improvement. Ugarte was one of the names being considered.
Liverpool miss out on Manuel Ugarte
So far in the early days of this summer, Liverpool have slipped away from landing a number of targets. The most notable being Jude Bellingham, who is all but signed and sealed for Real Madrid.
With Bellingham going to Spain, Ugarte was touted as a player Klopp would like to bring to Anfield.
But after breaking news yesterday saying Ugarte had more or less made his mind up on Chelsea, Fabrizio Romano has offered up more this morning, saying that things are now at an advanced stage.
Ugarte has impressed in Lisbon and will hope to make an impression on new Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Liverpool, meanwhile, are looking at other options and expect to complete a deal for Alexis Mac Allister soon.
RTK’s View: Could be the story of the summer
Liverpool’s lack of Champions League football could mean we see this a bit over the summer. Yes, Chelsea can’t offer it either but they will be chucking big money at Ugarte and the addition of Pochettino is appealing to some players.
The Reds may well find over the course of the window that certain players reject our advances. And that’s fine, to an extent, as long as Klopp gets some of his top targets.
The last thing Liverpool need is being made to settle for fourth and fifth choice options.
