Chelsea have 'accelerated' talks with Sporting as they are keen to get a Stamford Bridge deal done for Manuel Ugarte 'very quickly', transfer insider Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT.

Blues co-owner Todd Boehly will give Mauricio Pochettino cash to spend in the summer window after appointing the Argentinian as the west Londoners' new head coach earlier this week.

Chelsea transfer news - Manuel Ugarte

According to MailOnline, Chelsea have opened talks for Ugarte after watching him in action for Sporting during scouting missions.

The report suggests the midfielder, who has a £53million buy-out clause written into his contract, has already received an offer from Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa have shown an interest.

But it appears that Chelsea are in pole position to win the race as Ugarte has verbally agreed personal terms, while he also has a desire to compete in the Premier League.

Sporting boss Ruben Amorim has admitted it will be difficult for the Portuguese giants to retain the defensive midfielder's services after failing to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Chelsea have received a further boost in their pursuit after CBS reporter Ben Jacobs recently told GIVEMESPORT that Liverpool will not be offering further competition for Ugarte's signature.

What has Dean Jones said about Ugarte?

Jones understands that Chelsea are among Ugarte's admirers, and they have upped the ante in their bid to sign the Uruguayan.

The respected journalist believes the capital club are eager to thrash out an agreement with Sporting as soon as possible.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT: "It's certainly accelerated faster than I anticipated, to be honest. We'll now have to see how quickly it can continue to move forward and what the momentum is.

"We know Chelsea are interested, but the rate at which this has been moving forward makes me think that they're keen to get it done very quickly."

Would Ugarte be a good signing for Chelsea?

Sofascore data shows that Ugarte has averaged 3.9 tackles, 1.8 interceptions, and 0.5 clearances per outing in the Portuguese top flight this season.

With figures like that, it is clear the 22-year-old, who has made 47 appearances over the course of the campaign, would make Chelsea more difficult for opponents to break down.

Ugarte is also a consistently high performer as WhoScored have handed him an average match rating of 7.11, which is only bettered by two players who have pulled on a Sporting shirt this term.

There remains uncertainty over whether N'Golo Kante will remain at Stamford Bridge beyond the summer, as his £290,000-per-week contract is due to expire at the end of June.

But it could be argued that Ugarte would be an upgrade as FBref statistics highlight that the Uruguay international has averaged more tackles, interceptions, and clearances during the 2022/23 campaign.