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Manchester United on verge of signing £40m Nemanja Matic, confirms Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho’s frustrating wait for a third signing is almost over as Manchester United move to the brink of completing a £40 million deal for Nemanja Matic.
The midfielder travelled to Manchester on Saturday after United agreed a fee with Chelsea that could reach £45 million. The Serbian underwent a medical on Sunday as he prepared to be reunited with Mourinho, under whom he won the Premier League title in 2014-15.
Asked if a deal was imminent, Mourinho told MUTV: “I’m waiting for news. I know he wants that very, very much and when a player wants very, very much the chance is bigger, the chance is bigger, so I think we have a chance.”
Matic, 29 on Tuesday, will be formally announced as a United player on Monday and could make his debut in Wednesday’s friendly against Sampdoria in Dublin. They then play Real Madrid in the European Super Cup in Skopje a week on Tuesday.
United beat Valerenga 3-0 in Sunday night’s friendly in Oslo. Marouane Fellaini gave United a first-half lead before substitutes Romelu Lukaku and Scott McTominay scored in the second half.
Matic’s arrival will take United’s spending this summer to £145.7 million following the signings of Lukaku and defender Victor Lindelof, although that figure rises by a further £20 million once add-ons are factored in. A leaked picture of Matic wearing a United training top sporting the No 31 vacated by Bastian Schweinsteiger emerged on Sunday. Matic has been training alone at Chelsea’s training ground after being left off the pre-season tour to the United States amid uncertainty about his future and is likely to be some way short of match fitness.
Chelsea would have preferred to offload him overseas, with Juventus interested, but Matic’s preference was to move to Old Trafford and Roman Abramovich, the club owner, sanctioned the deal.
Matic had failed to agree a deal at Stamford Bridge over the past year and the arrival of midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko from Monaco for £39 million has pushed him closer towards the exit.
With Michael Carrick having just turned 36 and unlikely to start most games, and Ander Herrera not a classic holding player, Mourinho wanted a recognised midfield anchorman and he knows Matic well from his time with Chelsea.
Mourinho’s first choice for the role had been Tottenham’s Eric Dier but Spurs were steadfastly opposed to selling the England midfielder, despite his desire to move to Old Trafford, and United turned their sights to Radja Nainggolan and Matic as a result. But Nainggolan was reluctant to leave Roma – the Belgian signed a new four-year contract on Thursday – whereas Matic was keen to move.
His signing would bring even more height and physicality to United’s team. Matic is 6ft 4in and joins a squad already boasting towering figures, notably Paul Pogba and Lukaku. His arrival has raised doubts about the future of Fellaini, who has been linked with a move to Galatasaray, but Mourinho rubbished that notion.
“It’s easier for Galatasaray to get me than Marouane. If they need a manager, they can try and have a chance, but Marouane? Forget it. He’s too important for me.” However, United do have a bloated squad and departures are considered necessary.
Mourinho also wants to sign a winger but United have refused to meet Inter Milan’s £49 million asking price for Ivan Perisic. United would much prefer to sign Gareth Bale from Real Madrid, although any move for the Welshman is likely to hinge on Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe joining the European champions. It is thought Real will need to raise more funds through sales to help to finance a move for the France striker and Bale could be the most expendable of the array of forwards at the Spanish giants.
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