Manchester United are looking to sell midfielder Juan Mata for £20m ($32m), with Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Valencia all keen on the Spaniard. This according to the Daily Express. Whether this transfer rumor actually happens or not, it’s at least much more plausible and conceivable than the previously circulated narratives of:
“Juan Mata in swap deal for Kevin Strootman” (which we covered here) or
“Juan Mata part of swap deal for Arturo Vidal” (which we covered here).
Speaking of Juve, we’ve even heard of a deal that would reunite Mata with Chicharito on that club. (more on that here) Mata is a great player, it’s just a shame that he didn’t quite fit in Chelsea and couldn’t secure a first team spot. Then when David Moyes bought him last January for a then club record £37.5 million…I just didn’t feel that Moyes could have used up to the best of his abilities. And now Juan Mata doesn’t seem to be in the good graces of new manager Louis van Gaal.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and very often writes The Sports Bank.net ,which is partners with Fox Sports. Read his features stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks). His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN 2