Liverpool warned they could be punished if they try to sign ‘aggressive’ player again soon

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Liverpool have been warned not to make another approach for Sporting’s Manuel Ugarte before the season’s over.

Ugarte’s potential move to Liverpool has been gathering pace over recent days. Just yesterday the 22-year-old’s agent spoke publicly about the Reds’ interest in his client. Meanwhile, there have been claims that Liverpool have already been speaking directly to Ugarte.

But according to Portuguese outlet CM Jornal, this has gone down like a lead balloon in Lisbon. As a result, they claim that Sporting have ‘banned’ any transfer talks with their midfielder for the time being.

The Primeira Liga side have also reportedly warned Liverpool that they could face ‘punishments’ if they continue talking to Ugarte.

If the Reds aren’t in Sporting’s good books though, then Ugarte’s agent Jorge Chijane is in even hotter water. Club president Frederico Varandas is said to be furious with Chijane’s comments to the media yesterday.

Sporting hit back over Ugarte

This is a potentially disturbing turn in Liverpool’s reported pursuit of Ugarte. If Sporting really are as angry as they’re said to be, then they may not want to do business with the Reds full stop.

Ultimately, that may not matter too much, with the Uruguay international’s contract containing a much-publicised release clause. If Liverpool trigger that, then there’s nothing Sporting can do to stop Ugarte leaving.

But reports have been indicating that the Reds aren’t willing to pay the £53m needed to get the ‘highly aggressive’ midfielder out of Lisbon. As usual, Liverpool are looking to do business on their terms.

Clearly, this will take some negotiating with Sporting. And if Varandas and co are upset with them, then there’s not much hope they’ll speak to them, let alone do Liverpool a good deal.

Of course, we’ve seen the Reds upset the selling club in the past. They famously had to step away from a deal for Virgil van Dijk in 2017 after Southampton caught wind of their conversations with the defender.

Lessons have been learnt since then, though, with Liverpool generally on favourable terms with a lot of clubs they do business with. These include Sporting’s domestic rivals Benfica and Porto.

And given the amount of talent that passes through the Estadio Jose Alvalade, the Reds won’t want to upset them and risk missing out on Ugarte, as well as potential future deals. Let’s hope things get resolved.