Manchester United eye £40million Nemanja Matic as Chelsea close in on Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko

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Manchester United will have to pay up to £40million if they pursue their interest in Nemanja Matic and sign the Serbia midfielder from Chelsea.

Sportsmail reported last week that Chelsea would be prepared to let Matic rejoin his old boss Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford if they are successful in buying Tiemoue Bakayoko from Monaco.

Mourinho is also interested in Bakayoko and Tottenham's Eric Dier, but sees Matic as a more realistic option after the Chelsea player made it clear that he is unlikely to sign a new contract at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic would cost Manchester United around £40m this summer

Jose Mourinho is keen on having Matic back after the pair were together at Chelsea 

Matic played a key role in Chelsea's title success last term but is seemingly heading for an exit

The fee seems excessive for a player who will turn 29 this summer and only has two years left on his current deal, but Chelsea will not sell to one of their Premier League rivals on the cheap.

Mourinho is keen to sign a midfield anchor and is well aware of Matic's abilities, having brought the 6ft 4in midfielder back to Chelsea in 2014 in a £21m deal from Benfica.

Any deal is unlikely to be completed until the end of the week at the earliest, however. Matic is away on holiday and Mourinho is in Portugal following the death of his father, Felix, at the age of 79 over the weekend.

Also, United's club doctor Steve McNally could not oversee a medical until he returns from holiday on Thursday.

Chelsea are expected to complete the signing of midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko this week

United were also interested in Bakayoko, who helped Monaco win the Ligue 1 title

France international Bakayoko is set to partner fellow Parisian N'Golo Kante in midfield

Despite signing Benfica defender Victor Lindelof, it has been a frustrating summer so far for United.

They were forced to abandon their pursuit of Antoine Griezmann after he expressed a preference to stay at Atletico Madrid and sign a new contract, while Everton striker Romleu Lukaku appears to be on his way back to Chelsea.

United have turned their attentions to Alvaro Morata but have yet to reach agreement with Real Madrid for the Spain target man.