Mourinho Boost: Man Utd Now Clear Favourites To Sign £40m International

Managers are now pressing ahead with their plans for the summer transfer window so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip from around the globe. Today, Man Utd are the favourites to sign Nemanja Matic…

Manchester United are now the clear favourites to sign Nemanja Matic after Juventus baulked at Chelsea’s £40m asking price for the midfielder, according to a report in the Mirror.

Matic is expected to leave the Premier League champions as his place is under severe threat following the arrival of Tiemoue Bakayoko from Monaco earlier this month.

The Serbian international didn’t travel with the rest of the Chelsea squad on their pre-season tour of Asia as he was left back in London to resolve his future.

Man Utd and Juventus have been strongly linked with the 28-year-old in recent weeks but the Mirror are citing a report from Corriere dello Sport that claims the Italian giants have pulled out of the running due to Chelsea’s £40m valuation.

The newspaper says Juve are not prepared to meet the Blues asking price so United now have a clear run and are considered as the front runners to secure a deal for Matic this summer.

Jose Mourinho has growing increasingly frustrated with United’s transfer business as they’ve only managed to land two of their targets so far having wrapped-up deals for Victor Lindelof and Romelu Lukaku.

The Portuguese coach is desperate to sign a holding midfielder to act as a long-term replacement for Michael Carrick and Matic is believed to be keen on a reunion with his former boss at Old Trafford.

Chelsea were initially reluctant to do business with their rivals but The Sun reported last week that owner Roman Abramovich has given the go-ahead to a deal as long as United match their valuation.

We’ll have to wait and see whether the Red Devils are prepared to do so but United obviously have the financial muscle to pay whatever Chelsea are demanding and I think Matic would be an excellent addition.

Mourinho knows him well as he was the man to take him back to Chelsea from Benfica in 2014 so it looks like the two men could be reunited in Manchester this summer.