Matic all set for £40m Old Trafford move
MANCHESTER UNITED will look to complete the £40million transfer of Nemanja Matic from Chelsea this week.
The Premier League champions have consented to allow the 28-year-old to join their rivals but manager Antonio Conte ideally wants to bring in another midfielder before the transfer is signed off.
Matic was left behind from Chelsea’s pre-season tour to the Far East and made it clear that he wished to leave the club. Though Juventus expressed interest, they were unwilling to match the financial package plus the length of contract that Matic sought.
Instead, he will be reunited with former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, who tried to sign the Serbian international last season.
Mourinho had targeted at least four signings this summer, though accepts he may have to be satisfied with three following the arrivals of Victor Lindelof and Romelu Lukaku.
Talks over a deal for Ivan Perisic at Inter Milan, however, remain at an impasse, with United unwilling to match the £50m asking price or include Anthony Martial in the deal.
‘I depend on the situation, the market, and if my club is unable to do two players and just one, I accept that as a consequence of the market now,’ Mourinho explained.
Midfielder Ander Herrera is also expected to agree terms on a new four-year contract at Old Trafford. The Spain international had been linked with Barcelona earlier this year after his former boss at Athletic Bilbao, Ernesto Valverde, was confirmed as Luis Enrique’s successor at the Nou Camp.
A proposed contract offer to veteran striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic remains a possibility as he continues his recovery from a knee injury while Galatasaray have made an enquiry for midfielder Marouane Fellaini.
The 29-year-old is well-liked by Mourinho but the Belgium international knows his first-team opportunities will be even more limited once Matic arrives from Chelsea.