Manchester United have made a club record bid in excess of £35 million for Juan Mata.
Neither club have officially confirmed the offer but the play maker did miss training today and it appears that the first move has been made in what would be one of the biggest transfers of the season.
United chose a slightly unusual route to lodge their bid, using intermediaries, but Chelsea have accepted the offer as an official one and manager Jose Mourinho has allegedly sanctioned the move.
Mata will reportedly undergo a medical tomorrow at United before completing the move that will see him more than double his £70,000-a-week Chelsea salary at Old Trafford.
Moves between the top four clubs in England are few and far between with United’s signing of Robin van Persie proving to be both controversial and detrimental to Arsenal despite a £20 million pound fee for the hit-man.
Selling Mata a mistake
There are those who would argue that by selling Mata to United it could come back to haunt Chelsea.
It could prove to be a master stroke from Mourinho in the short term, given that Chelsea have already played United twice this season, and with United having to face both City and Arsenal they could yet help deliver the Premier League to Stamford Bridge.
However in future seasons its debatable whether Mourinho will regret selling him to United, as this deal could yet pave the way for Wayne Rooney to transfer to the Blues.
Deals of this magnitude are seldom completed without complications and the indications are that intermediaries are being allowed to make the running in negotiations before matters are made official, although the player himself has reportedly told friends he is leaving Stamford Bridge.
United need a boost in a disappointing season and the signing of Mata – which is likely to break the club’s transfer record – would be a serious statement of intent.
Chelsea are understood to be happy to sell as manager Jose Mourinho has too many attacking players in his squad and prefers other options to the Spaniard.
For Mata the transfer would give him an opportunity for much more playing time with the World Cup in Brazil looming this summer.
Chelsea would also make a significant profit on a player they signed for £23.5m from Valencia in 2011. These funds could also be used to bolster the Chelsea squad in other areas not only in this window but potentially in the summer as well.
Former player and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has questioned whether United need Mata but given United’s alarming position in the league and the manner of their performances so far this season, there is plenty of evidence to the contrary.
Mata is 25, a Spanish international and has a proven track record in the Premier League, since 2011 when he signed for Chelsea he has produced the highest amount of goalscoring opportunities.
At a figure as high as £40 million there are arguments to whether he is worth that but there’s no doubt he’s a world class player, something United don’t seemingly have an abundance of at the moment.
