Paris Saint-Germain have signed defensive midfielder Manuel Ugarte from Sporting CP for €60 million.
Ugarte is PSG’s third confirmed transfer of the summer.
Lucas Hernandez, Lee Kang-in, Marco Asensio, Milan Skriniar and Cher Ndour are also joining the club this summer.
Ugarte had interest from Chelsea as the Blues sought a defensive midfielder. They were in the race for him until the final hours when he chose the Ligue 1 champions.
PSG needed a defensive midfielder, with Danilo Pereira spending most of last season deputising at centre-back.
Sporting director Luis Campos has moved to plug that hole with the signing of the Uruguayan enforcer.
He will likely partner Marco Verratti, Vitinha, Luis Fabian and Carlos Soler in midfield.
Ugarte excels at breaking up opposition play with snappy tackles and overwhelming power.
He made more tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes than any other player with 900+ minutes in Europe’s top seven leagues during the 2022/23 season.
He is also superb at carrying the ball out from the back, veering through tackles to bring his team forward.
Ugarte is an Uruguayan international with eight caps and was part of the 26 players called up by coach Diego Alonso for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The midfielder came up through the CA Fenix Academy in Montevideo. He made his first-team debut in December 2016, aged just 15. He played for them for four years before moving to FC Famalicao in 2020.
After only seven months in Portugal, he earned a move to Sporting. With Leoes, established himself as one of the best young midfield anchors.
Following the signing, Ugarte said (via PSG’s official website): “I am sincerely very happy to be able to take this big step in my career in such a big club.
“I am going to give my all for Paris Saint-Germain.”
