Paris Saint-Germain announce Manuel Ugarte signing from Sporting Lisbon

Paris Saint-Germain announce the signing of Manuel Ugarte from Sporting Lisbon on a five-year contract for a reported €60m (£51.2m).

Paris Saint-Germain have announced the signing of Uruguayan midfielder Manuel Ugarte from Sporting Lisbon.

The 22-year-old becomes the Ligue 1 champions' third signing of the summer window and joins on a five-year deal after PSG triggered the €60m (£51.2m) release clause in his Sporting contract.

Ugarte follows Milan Skriniar and Marco Asensio - whose arrivals on free transfers were confirmed on Thursday - to the Parc des Princes for Luis Enrique's debut season.

"I'm sincerely delighted to be able to reach this milestone in my career, at such a huge club. I'm going to give everything for Paris Saint-Germain," Ugarte told the official PSG website.

Chelsea were at one stage considered to be the favourites to sign Ugarte, who also attracted the interest of two other Premier League teams in the shape of Liverpool and Aston Villa.

However, the Blues soon pulled out of the race for the South American, who quickly earmarked the Parc des Princes as his preferred destination for a summer move.

The Uruguay international departs Sporting following a successful two-year spell under Ruben Amorim, registering one goal and three assists from 85 matches in a defensive midfield position.

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) July 7, 2023

Ugarte won one Taca da Liga title with the Portuguese giants, whom he joined in the summer of 2021 after spending half a season with Famalicao.

A product of the CA Fenix academy in his homeland, Ugarte was a key player for Sporting in the 2022-23 campaign, setting up one goal in 47 matches for the club across all competitions.

Ugarte started 28 Primeira Liga matches as Sporting finished fourth in the table, while he also helped Amorim's side reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League, despite being sent off against Arsenal in the last 16.

The midfielder earned his first cap for Uruguay in September 2021 and has made a further seven appearances for the national team, earning a call-up to the 2022 World Cup but failing to play a single minute at the tournament.

Ugarte reinforces the Parisiens' midfield despite the arrivals of Renato Sanches, Vitinha, Carlos Soler and Fabian Ruiz last summer, although the quartet all struggled to impress in their debut campaigns.

The 22-year-old will also compete with Marco Verratti and Warren Zaire-Emery for starts in midfield, while the futures of Leandro Paredes and Georginio Wijnaldum are shrouded in uncertainty.

Having wrapped up deals for Ugarte, Asensio and Skriniar, PSG are now expected to intensify their efforts to sign Benfica starlet Cher Ndour and Mallorca's Lee Kang-in.