The Blues could have discovered their perfect Mason Mount replacement with the Englishman expected to leave the club this summer
Mauricio Pochettino could find his disappointment regarding a likely summer departure for Mason Mount lessened with Chelsea finding their new boss a dream replacement. The 24-year-old has been loosely discussing new contract terms throughout the 2022/23 season but little to any significant progress has been made which looks set to result in Mount leaving his boyhood club.
Ugarte is seen as the top option out of Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Manu Kone to partner Enzo Fernandez with numerous midfield stars expected to depart. Mount and Loftus-Cheek are joined by Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante on that list, with contract extension talks for the latter stalling.
Therefore, bolstering the midfield ranks could be a priority for Pochettino and the Blues may have just found the perfect replacement for Mount. Celta Vigo star Gabri Veiga is attracting very strong interest from a number of top European clubs with Chelsea the latest to join the race, according to AS in Spain.
As the only team interested with no European football, Chelsea face an uphill task to try and convince Veiga to sign, but after 35 La Liga appearances where he has scored nine goals and grabbed four assists, he will likely demand first-team assurances which he may not be able to obtain at many of the other clubs.
Veiga has thrived in an advanced role this campaign with his versatility allowing him to seamlessly move from his preferred creative role into a deeper position to form a three-man midfield.
