Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic has inched closer to a move to Manchester United. The Serbian international is set for a reunion with Jose Mourinho, after it was reported by the Telegraph last night that Blues owner Roman Abramovich has given his thumbs-up. United will pay a whopping £50 million to land Matic to Old Trafford. They had initial bid of £35 million rejected initially, but this is an offer too good for Chelsea to refuse.
Matic has faded badly in the last couple of seasons, after rejoining Chelsea from Benfica in January 2014. The 28 year-old was instrumental in the title win of 2015, but has clearly been on the decline since. His lack of pace and effort left the Blues exposed time and again last season, even though he chipped in with some important goals and assists. Having signed Tiemoue Bakayoko from Monaco, selling Matic for £50 million will be a fantastic deal for the Blues. This will though, leave them a little short of numbers in that area of the pitch. Nathaniel Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have been sold and and loaned out respectively. Matic’s departure means that Antonio Conte only has N’Golo Kante, Bakayoko and Cesc Fabregas to compete for the the two central midfield positions.
Mourinho, on the other hand, will be happy to be reunited with his trusted ally from his Stamford Bridge days. He already has Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba, but adding quality depth to the squad is never a bad thing.
United have spent over £100 million in the window so far, on Romelu Lukaku and Victor Lindelof. Mourinho has won the league in his second season in charge at every club he’s been at in the last 15 years, including Porto, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Chelsea twice. He will be looking to keep that record going next season at United, who are yet to legitimately challenge for the title since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013.
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