Manchester United are confident of closing a deal for Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic after hitting a wall in their efforts to take Eric Dier from Tottenham Hotspur. José Mourinho identified Dier as his No1 defensive midfield target at the start of the close season and he has seen three bids for him turned down by Tottenham. The third bid was understood to be close to £40m.
Tottenham’s position on Dier has been resolute all summer. When Ed Woodward, the United executive vice-chairman, made his first approach to Daniel Levy, the Tottenham chairman – and made a preliminary offer of £25m – he was told in no uncertain terms that Dier was not for sale.
United have continued to chip away, bidding £30m and then almost £40m but, in the context of an inflated market, the offers have served only to irritate Levy. Dier lost his place as Tottenham’s first-choice defensive midfielder to Victor Wanyama last season and he has been open to the prospect of the move to Old Trafford, where Mourinho would play him in his preferred position.
But Dier has not allowed the situation to affect him and Mauricio Pochettino, who values him enormously, not least because of his tactical flexibility, has been happy to see him put in the hard yards during pre-season. Dier played mostly in defence last season.
Mourinho has signed the centre-half Victor Lindelof and the striker Romelu Lukaku but he has been targeting a defensive midfielder and he is now convinced that he will sign Matic.
United have had a £35m offer for him rejected but Matic wants to go to Old Trafford and the Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, is willing to grant him his wish as a goodwill gesture in view of the player’s service to the club.
Abramovich, though, will make United pay – with a fee of £50m having been mooted. Chelsea would be prepared to sell for less to a foreign club, with Juventus among the interested parties, but they continue to smart over how United hijacked their move for Lukaku.
Antonio Conte has signed Tiemoué Bakayoko from Monaco for £39.7m and he will play him instead of Matic this season. Conte left Matic out of the squad that he took on the club’s tour to east Asia. Matic previously played under Mourinho at Stamford Bridge and he is keen to renew his working relationship with him.