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Leeds United and Tottenham transfer news as Jorge Mendes talks ahead for Manuel Ugarte
Leeds United transfer target Manuel Ugarte is set to be the centre of talks with Jorge Mendes to increase his release clause at Sporting Lisbon from £61million up to £70million, according to Record.
The report states that Leeds United, Spurs and Newcastle are all interested in the 22-year-old’s services this summer.
The current representative of the midfielder, Jorge Chijane, is set to travel to Portugal in May where he will meet and hold talks with super agent Mendes, who has worked for the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, James Rodriguez and Joao Felix in the past.
Sporting Lisbon want to give Ugarte a new contract that will increase his release clause up to a fee of £70million, and Record (Thursday, 27 April, page 9) has shared that the Portuguese club would only sell the Uruguayan international if their clause was matched.
Expensive
After yet another season in which Leeds United are embroiled in a relegation battle, positive transfer news is always a bonus.
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However, the £70million clause for Ugarte is way out of Leeds’ budget and would surely leave Spurs and Newcastle in the front seat for the transfer.
The Sporting midfielder is quickly becoming one of the most talked about players across Europe and has a slight Cody Gakpo ring about it from last year.
By the time the transfer window arrives, potentially even more top Premier League clubs could be in for the 22-year-old, and by that point, Leeds may, unfortunately, be outbid.
Ugarte fits the profile for the type of player the Whites should be targeting this summer.
Since Tyler Adams’ injury in the middle of the park, Javi Gracia has been alarmingly short of options, with Weston McKennie failing to hit the heights expected of him when sealing his loan move from Juventus in January.
Ugarte is an exciting prospect, but Leeds must be wary not to get caught up in a bidding war.
In other Leeds United, a Whites player was reduced to tears after what happened this week while he’s also on the cusp of sealing a permanent Elland Road exit.