Sridhar Bhamidi
This is one transfer saga that has been going on and on! Nemanja Matic to Manchester United could soon become a reality as Juventus are reported to have pulled out of the race. According to Corriere dello Sport, United now have a free run to sign the Serbian midfield powerhouse.
The Serbian midfielder has been a prime target for Jose Mourinho who has worked with the defensive midfielder at Chelsea. After winning the title under Mourinho, Matic once again was the cornerstone to Antonio Conte’s title-winning side of 2016-17.
That, however, did not stop the Italian from signing Tiemoue Bakayoko from AS Monaco. The arrival of the French midfielder has pushed the Serbian international down the pecking order. Matic is looking for first team opportunities elsewhere and even the Blues are willing to sanction the transfer.
Juventus were the only other side interested, as Massimiliano Allegri was ready to bid for the 28-year-old’s signature. But, the Italian Champions are not willing to match the £40million valuation by Chelsea.
That leaves the Red Devils in pole position to sign the player even though Conte is not willing to strengthen a Premier League rival. Owner Roman Abramovich is ready to sanction the deal as a goodwill gesture towards the midfielder.
There’s a catch here though as Chelsea want to add extra £10million – as “Lukaku tax” (Metro). Chelsea were beaten to the signature of Romelu Lukaku by Manchester United as we hijacked the deal after the Belgian seemed set for Stamford Bridge.
Matic has expressed his desire to come to Old Trafford but the Champions are still smarting at missing out on Lukaku. He has been left at home from Chelsea’s pre-season tour to China as all parties are looking to close out a deal.
Now that Juventus are out of the race, will Chelsea reduce “Lukaku tax”? The view within our club is that Chelsea will eventually come to terms with losing out on Lukaku and will be willing to do regular business on Matic. Signing him for £40million could be considered a worthy deal but anything more than that is out of range – even though market prices have gone crazy.
