Home   >   Transfer News   >   Manchester United make £40m bid for Mata

Manchester United make £40m bid for Mata

By on January 22, 2014

Manchester United have made a club record bid in the region of £40 million for Chelsea misfit Juan Mata after Chelsea admitted they would sell the midfielder for around £42 million.

Mata has been linked with a move to Old Trafford after failing to find a regular starting spot in Jose Mourinho’s first eleven, although there has still been no official bid for the Spaniard since the £40 million offer was made by a third party acting on behalf of United.  Chelsea are also expected to be holding out for a £42 million offer, but the deal is almost sure to be completed before the end of the transfer window after United proved they are willing to break their club transfer record of the £30.75 they paid for Dimitar Berbatov in 2008.

However, the deal is still believed to be reliant on Mata wanting out form Stamford Bridge, yet is likely too after making only two of a possible seven appearances in the last month, in both of which he was substituted before the 73rd minute.  The Spanish international will also be looking at his chances of appearing in Vincente del Bosque’s squad for the 2014 World Cup when considering a move, with first team football a must for anybody to make it into one of, if not the, best international side in the world.  Mata is thought to have missed training on Wednesday, suggesting that the playmaker is already sure of a decision to leave London.

If the deal were to be completed United manager David Moyes could actually value the buy as a steal at a value of just £40 million, considering the 25-year-old moved to Chelsea without much top level experience for £23.5 million at the age of 23.  Mata has grown an unbelievable amount at Chelsea, and was voted the club’s player of the year in each of his two seasons there having helped them win the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League in 2012 and the Europa League in 2013.  The former Valencia player lead the Premier League in assists in 2012/13 along with Chelsea teammate Eden Hazard, yet somehow fell out of favor when Mourinho took over at the Blues.

Mata has only made thirteen league appearances so far this season and was substituted out in nine those matches, leaving United scrambling to complete a deal before Mourinho could possibly ever offer Mata a spot back in Chelsea’s starting lineup.  However, Moyes played down the urgency in United’s attempt to sign players.

“I fully understand that supporters are keen to see us freshen up the squad with new faces, but January is a difficult month in which to bring people in,” Moyes said.

“While we are actively scouting players all the time, a lot of the work we are doing now is preparation for the summer.

“If we can do any business now then we will certainly try to do it, but I will not compromise the standards required for a player that can come into this club and help improve it.”

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.