Newcastle Transfer News: Howe now wants to beat Tottenham to Manuel Ugarte signing

By Lee Connor

Newcastle United are keen on signing Uruguayan midfielder Manuel Ugarte in the summer, as they look to trump Tottenham to his signature.

Ugarte, who featured in the World Cup in Qatar for Uruguay, was watched by Spurs in the tournament as they looked to make their move. However, after a wretched January in general, no deal was struck for Ugarte.

And now, according to reports from Record in Portugal, it is Newcastle who could end up making a move for Ugarte in the summer window.

Sporting Lisbon, as it stands, do not intend on selling Ugarte. However, much like they did with Pedro Porro, they could end up being convinced to do business if certain clauses or thresholds are met.

Ugarte is seen as one of the best up and coming midfielders from South America right now. Already a regular with Sporting, the 21-year-old has proven himself more than capable in European football.

It’s claimed Newcastle are keen on signing the midfielder. The Magpies are pushing for European football and could have plenty to offer new players in the summer.

TBR’s View: Ugarte is one to watch

There seems to be some fine players coming out of Portugal and Manuel Ugarte is yet another one. The Uruguayan looks like being a quality operator and it’s no surprise to see Newcastle linked.

PIF could well go big this summer, especially if Newcastle sneak into the top four. At the moment, they’re just faltering a tad but remain hard to beat.

Ugarte would add quality and depth to the central midfield. Having lost Jonjo Shelvey, Eddie Howe was keen to add a new face in January but fell short in the end.

Ugarte would certainly tick boxes and if they did land him ahead of Spurs, it would deal another blow to a rival club as well.