Barcelona Eye £30m Mata After Mourinho Blocks Attackers Pay Rise

With the internet full of transfer gossip as we approach the opening of the summer transfer window, an interesting story by the Mirror caught my eye with the newspaper reporting that Barcelona are ready to launch a £30m move for Juan Mata after new boss Jose Mourinho blocked a pay rise due to the attacker.

Mata has just come off the back of a stunning season at Stamford Bridge that saw him score 19 goals and provide 35 assists to earn him Chelsea’s Player of the Year award as well as a place in the Premier League Team of the Year last term.

The Mirror claim that the 25-year-old is now due a pay rise in accordance with the terms of his contract but reports coming from Spain suggest that Mourinho has blocked the planned wage increase leading to a fall-out between the pair and Barcelona are ready to pounce.

Mata still has three years left to run on his current contract at Stamford Bridge so isn’t likely to come cheap and the newspaper suggest Barca are lining up a £30m bid to try and lure the unsettled attacker to the Nou Camp this summer and will look to fund the move from the sale of Thiago Alcantara, David Villa and Alexis Sanchez.

Blues fans will no doubt be up in arms if the club do end up selling Mata this summer and it would be a hugely bold move by Mourinho. However, there’s a long way to go before any move happens and I personally still feel it’s unlikely Mata will leave Chelsea, despite what the Mirror say, but it’s certainly something worth keeping a close eye on over the next few weeks….

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