Manchester United are close to signing Serbia midfielder Nemanja Matic from Chelsea for £40m.
Matic, 28, would be United’s third summer buy, following £31m defender Victor Lindelof from Benfica and £75m striker Romelu Lukaku from Everton.
Speaking after Sunday’s 3-0 pre-season victory over Valerenga, United manager Jose Mourinho – who signed Matic for Chelsea – said: “We are waiting for news. He wants it very much.
“I think we have a chance.”
Mourinho spent £21m in January 2014 to sign Matic from Benfica for a second spell at Stamford Bridge.
Matic had been valued at less than £5m in January 2011 when he left Chelsea as a makeweight in the deal for defender David Luiz.
The midfielder scored once in 35 Premier League appearances during Chelsea’s title-winning 2016-17 season, but also struck spectacularly in their FA Cup semi-final victory over Tottenham in April.
His exit had been expected after the Blues signed France international Tiemoue Bakayoko, 22, from French champions Monaco in a reported £40m deal earlier this month.
Italian champions Juventus were also understood to be keen on Matic.
4
0
2
