Manchester United Close in on £40 Million-Rated Chelsea Midfiedler Nemanja Matić
Looks like Nemanja Matić may be heading to the City of Manchester this summer.
According to ESPN FC, Manchester United are closing in on a deal to bring the Serbian midfielder to Old Trafford and they may make the transfer official before the end of the week.
"The 28-year-old, who returned to Chelsea for a second spell at Stamford Bridge in a £21 million transfer from Benfica in Jan 2014, has emerged as Jose Mourinho's top target in his attempts to recruit a new defensive midfielder, with United being given no encouragement in their efforts to prise Eric Dier from Tottenham," Mark Ogden wrote in his report for ESPN FC.
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"Tiemoue Bakayoko, Mourinho's No. 1 option for the holding role, is expected to sign for Chelsea from Monaco — a move that will unlock the door for Matic to head to Old Trafford," he continued.
Goal has also reported that the two clubs have already agreed on the £40-million transfer and he's due to undergo a medical by Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Mirror claims that United and Matić have agreed on personal terms and the Serbian footballer is set to sign a four-year deal worth £150,000 a week.
Matić might not be Mourinho's top choice for the holding midfield role, but he's a pretty good holding player. He was also a vital member of Mourinho's Chelsea squad that won the Premier League title in the 2014–15 season.
Matić actually had a shaky relationship with Mourinho during the manager's final season with Chelsea. During a match against Southampton back in 2015, the Portuguese manager made an unusual move by taking him off the pitch around 27 minutes after he was brought in as a half-time substitute. Matić has admitted that it was a humiliating experience, but it seems he doesn't mind playing under Mourinho again.
With Matić in the fold, United can finally give Paul Pogba the freedom to do go up and join the attack.
