Julian Nagelsmann wasn't first Chelsea choice

Jacque Talbot

26 May 2023 12:45 BST
2 min read

Chelsea have denied claims that Julian Nagelsmann was their first choice, FootballTransfers can confirm.

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We are told that the former Bayern Munich boss has been making claims that he was the top choice for the job.

The German’s agent, Volker Struth, has also made such ideas on record. "They called very quickly. There were a few phone calls," Struth told Bild's Phrasenmäher podcast.

"It's a club in trouble at the moment. And their transfer policy, which has seen them spend around 100 million euros, has raised expectations that have to be met. There have also been other problems," he said.

The club are set to bring in former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino ahead of next season while they had not thought of making any candidate their firm choice at the point in which they were talking to Nagelsmann, sources tell us.

It comes after the news Chelsea are not deterred by the emergence of Paris Saint-Germain and will press ahead in their efforts to sign Manuel Ugarte, according to reports in Portugal.

FootballTransfers broke the news that the Blues were keen on signing the midfielder but that they may wait until they have Mauricio Pochettino in place.

News from Portugal suggested that PSG were on the verge of signing the player, but now a report from RMC says that the Blues have upped their game and looking to meet Ugarte’s release clause.

It states that Chelsea will look to trigger the 22-year-old Sporting defensive midfielder's €60m release clause and will even sweeten the deal by allowing him to stay with his current side on loan for one more season.

Ugarte has impressed during his second campaign at Sporting, making 47 appearances in all competitions. The Portugal club signed Ugarte for just over £5million in the summer of 2021 from Famalicao.

READ: Messi, Tielemans, De Gea and the best players available on free transfers this summer

Read more about: Premier League, Chelsea