Chelsea
Man Utd Open Talks With Chelsea Over Juan Mata But Mourinho Insists He’s Staying
Man Utd have contacted Chelsea over the potential signing of attacker Juan Mata, but it’s not known if the proposal involves a swap deal with Wayne Rooney.
With the summer transfer window in full swing, there is plenty of gossip doing the rounds in the newspapers so we’ll keep you up-to-date with the latest transfer rumours. Today, Manchester United make their move for Juan Mata.
Manchester United have made contact with Chelsea over the potential signing of attacker Juan Mata, according to ESPN.
The Spaniard’s future at Stamford Bridge has surprisingly come under scrutiny this summer following the return of Jose Mourinho as boss and he was reported to be a shock make-weight in Chelsea’s bid to try and land Wayne Rooney earlier in the summer.
Speculation suggesting the Portuguese coach views Mata as a dispensable member of his squad refuse to go away and the imminent arrival of Brazilian attacker Willian has also cast further doubt over Mata’s future at Chelsea.
ESPN now claim that sources from both clubs have confirmed to them that Manchester United have contacted the Blues and made an informal approach for the 25-year-old, but it’s not known whether their proposal involves a swap deal with Chelsea target Wayne Rooney or a straight cash deal.
The report suggests that United are confident a deal can be done, and despite Chelsea publicly insisting the former Valencia man is not for sale, they believe Mourinho is open to the idea of selling in order to raise funds to buy a striker. Ironically, Mourinho’s No.1 target is understood to be Rooney, so it would make sense if Chelsea are willing to do a deal for Mata that it would see Rooney go in the opposite direction.
Mourinho insisted at his press conference on Friday afternoon that Mata would not be sold, but you’d expect him to say that whether it was true or not, so it doesn’t really tell us anything.
It’s almost unthinkable that Mourinho isn’t a fan of Mata’s, considering the superb two years he’s enjoyed in west London since arriving in 2011, and the Chelsea fans would surely be up in arms if he was sold – particularly to a rival like Man Utd – but the same goes for Rooney leaving United for Chelsea.
It’s gearing up to be an interesting final 9 days of the transfer window, and it seems there’s the possibility we could see a sensational swap deal involving two of Europe’s biggest clubs and two of the finest players on the planet. Could it happen? It’s unlikely, but you just never know.
Read more Chelsea transfer news | Man Utd transfer news
Do you believe Chelsea would sell Mata? Share your views below.
