Patrick Rees
With Alexis Sanchez’s move to Manchester United almost there, uncertainty has gathered around the future of Juan Mata. The Chilean’s arrival would see the Spaniard fall down the pecking order and at his age, he certainly needs regular first-team football to keep up his agility.
Having said that, an exclusive from the Daily Star has reported that Mata’s former club Valencia are looking to give him an exit route out of Manchester United at the end of the season. Back in December 2017, it was quoted that Mata – whose current contract expires at the end of the season – was already given a one-year contract extension, but the aforementioned source clearly denies any such happenings.
Now, with the former Chelsea man already in the final six months of his contract, he is eligible to sign a pre-contract agreement with any foreign club. Having said that, his former club Valencia have been credited with a potential interest. But as United are unwilling to lose him for free, there are sources claiming that the club’s hierarchy would extend his deal by a year and with that, they will be able to demand a sustainable fee.
Also, there are rumours that Manchester United are keen on offloading Mata, who earns £170,000-a-week wages at Old Trafford, from their wage bill but the player himself is quite happy with things going around Manchester United and would love to stay for long given that he recently opened a restaurant. However, as Mourinho is planning a certain overhaul, it is hard to see Mata being a part of it given that the Spaniard fell out of favour under Portuguese during their time at Chelsea.
Furthermore, as things stand for the United hierarchy, they have a good relationship with Valencia as Andreas Pereira is currently on loan at the Mestalla Stadium and is performing quite decently. Also, as far as Alexis Sanchez’s deal is concerned, United and Arsenal have all but finalised a straight swap deal according to the BBC.
