Mercato Paris – Ugarte, the new madness at 60 million from PSG in question

What is his background?

Considered one of the new marvels of the Uruguayan selection, Manuel Ugarte, 22, has already worn the Celeste jersey 8 times and if he was selected for the World Cup in Qatar, he did not play the minute and experienced the elimination of his family from the bench. After 53 matches in his training club Centro Atlético Fénix, he joined the Portuguese championship, FC Famalicao at the age of 19, then, six months later, Sporting Lisbon. In two seasons, he has established himself as a key player in the league and then in the Champions League, especially during the two confrontations against OM. Ugarte is now part of Sporting’s jewels.

What type of player is he?

The defensive midfielder that PSG have been waiting for for years? The sentry quest has been a futile battle since the departure of Thiago Motta. There were candidates, very few satisfactions and the arrival of Manuel Ugarte would try to erase this long deficiency. A defensive midfielder, he is used to playing as a sentry in front of a three-man defense even if he can also play as a torchbearer.

However, it is around this system that Luis Campos would like to build the PSG 2023/2024. Ugarte is a barker, with a strong character, very physical despite a size (1.82 m, 77 kg) far from impressive. He likes duels on the ground and in the air. No one has won more duels (11 per game) or managed more tackles (3.3) on average this season in C1. On the face side, he has collected a lot of yellow cards (17 this season!) and he is the third player to have committed the most fouls in the Champions League this season despite only playing in the group stage (16 fouls in total).

First raiser, his pass quality has relieved Sporting this season (91% successful passes) and if he is less elegant than Marco Verratti, he is not just a fighter in midfield.

Why is it so expensive?

Concerning him, the case is clear. To attract his services, it will be necessary to pay 60 million euros and not a penny less because this is the amount of his release clause. Irrigated by the millions of the Premier League which feeds on its talents, the Portuguese championship knows how to export its best players. Enzo Fernandez (left for Chelsea against 120 million euros), Darwin Nunez (bought 80 million euros by Liverpool) or even Vitinha (who cost 41.5 million euros to PSG) recall that in terms of transfers , Porto, Benfica and all the others are not negotiating.

Especially since in the specific case of Ugarte, the competition from English clubs, in particular from Liverpool, is raising the stakes to heights which do not correspond, today, to the real value of the player, even if his profile of sentinel, rare at very high level, raises the note. If he wants the young Urugayen, Paris has no choice but to match the amount of the release clause. Sporting has an agreement with Jorge Mendes to sell his talents as best as possible generally in the Premier League but Paris has the arguments to convince any club.

In Paris, the environment he needs?

It’s a real bet. PSG’s latest bets (Vitinha, Ekitike) have reminded us of how difficult it is to win in an environment that is not always the most conducive to the development of great hopes. But it is not impossible and the example Nuno Mendes, who arrived… from Sporting, reminds us that failure is not inevitable on the side of the Parc des Princes. The arrival of Ugarte, in a locker room, responds to a need identified for several years now in Paris. The Uruguayan would fill a void. It’s already a good start…