Chelsea Set To Sign €25m Serbian Midfielder As Man Utd Miss Out

With the January transfer window now open for business clubs will be working hard to try and strengthen their squad for the second half of the season, so we’ll keep you up-to-date with all the latest news, gossip and rumours. Today, Chelsea close in on Nemanja Matic.

Chelsea are set to make the first significant move in the transfer window with widespread reports claiming they are on the brink of re-signing midfielder Nemanja Matic from Benfica.

Matic spent an unsuccessful two-year spell at Stamford Bridge between 2009-2011, making just 2 appearances for the first team, before he was used as a make-weight in the deal that saw David Luiz move to west London.

The Serbian international has since grown into one of the finest defensive midfielders in Europe and his superb form for Benfica over the past 18 months has alerted Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, with speculation linking him with a move for the player in recent weeks.

Sky Sports reported on Sunday that the Blues were in talks to try and re-sign the 25-year-old and it seems a deal could now have been agreed with Record just one of several Portuguese media outlets who are claiming this morning that Matic is set for a €25m (£20.7m) move back to west London.

The Portuguese newspaper suggests that Manchester United were also trying to lure Matic back to the Premier League, but it appears the Blues have won the race as the paper goes with the headline ‘Matic sold to Chelsea‘ and they expect the Serb to become a Chelsea player by Tuesday.

However, while the foreign press are certain Matic to Chelsea is a ‘done deal’, the British media are slightly less convinced. The Daily Mail claim the Blues are still in the negotiation stages and ‘hope’ to get a deal agreed while Goal state that Mourinho will sell Kevin De Bruyne first in order to fund a move for Matic.

We’d usually issue a word of caution when talking about transfer news and of course no deal is finalised until we hear official word from the clubs, but it does appear that Chelsea are on the brink of bringing Matic back to Stamford Bridge.

Many fans have been calling for Mourinho to bring in a striker this month, given the fact his current crop of front-men are struggling to find the target on a regular basis this season, but it looks like Jose feels strengthening his midfield is more of a priority.

Should this proposed deal go through, Matic will battle it out with John Obi Mikel, Ramires and Frank Lampard for a place in the Blues midfield – although Lampard is currently out injured and not expected back for another two weeks.

READ MORE: Chelsea transfer news | Man Utd transfer news

Will he be the man to take Chelsea to the title? Are Chelsea fans excited about the prospect of Matic returning to the club? Share your views below.