Manchester United are expected to make a bid for the out-of-favour Chelsea playmaker Juan Mata in the next two days, with Jose Mourinho having the ultimate say over whether the Spain international leaves or not.
With a bid of more than £30m expected to be the very minimum for Mata, a non-playing substitute in the victory over United on Sunday, it will then be left to the Chelsea manager to decide whether he is prepared to go against everything he has said so far and sell.
Mourinho has repeatedly stirred the pot after United’s refusal to sell Wayne Rooney to Chelsea in the summer and it would require a thaw in relations between the clubs before the sale of 25-year-old Mata to Old Trafford. A loan move to Atletico Madrid is another possible escape route from west London for Mata.
Mourinho has made it clear that, since Mata’s demotion to a role as Oscar’s deputy for the No 10 role, he wants the player as part of his squad as they fight on three fronts in the new year. He would also require a replacement before the end of the month to maintain the balance of his squad.
There are few arguments in favour of letting Mata go, other than the fact that Chelsea have little room for manoeuvre when it comes to their Premier League squad. They have the maximum number of non-homegrown, over-21 players registered, 17, of which Mata is one.
The bid by United underline their increasing desperation to make a signing this window. The club had previously worked on the basis that targets like Atletico Madrid’s Koke and Arturo Vidal of Juventus would not come until the summer, provided they could be landed, and that this window may yet pass without a new addition. However, 14 points behind leaders Arsenal, and after a humbling 3-1 defeat at Stamford Bride, there appears to be a greater urgency.
Read more at Independent
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