Man United star set for La Liga move as Mourinho lingering future talks
Jul 18, 2016 at 12:37 PM
Juan Mata’s present situation at Old Trafford has been closely monitored by Spanish outfit Espanyol after the arrival of Jose Mourinho so far. It is believed Mata himself doesn’t look too confident that he will stay at United and already started to think about his possible next destination.
The Barcelona-based club are keeping tabs on the attacking midfielder and pondering an offer for him to return to his homeland if Mourinho decides to scrap him again, according to Tom Hopkinson in the Sunday People.
The Portuguese sold Mata from Chelsea to Manchester United for £37.5million in January 2014 despite the fact the 28-year-old Spaniard had won Player of the Year for the two previous seasons.
And when Mourinho’s appointment at Old Trafford was confirmed this summer rumours started to spin into overdrive with claims that Mata would be sold again.
That has put several clubs in England and Spain on alert, with Espanyol among them
They have money to spend this summer after further investment from Chinese backers last November and Mata will be targeted if they receive encouragement from his camp to do so.
Mata, who has so far played 40 matches for Spain but was left out of the squad by Vicente Del Bosque for Euro 2016, does not want to leave United.
And, crucially, Mourinho always tried to make a point that the pair didn’t fall out when the player was sold.
The former Chelsea boss was adamant United’s offer had been too good to turn down, that he and Mata discussed the situation, that it suited all parties and that he was very much a fan of the person.
Mourinho did, however, raised questions about the defensive side of Mata’s game and the weakness he saw in it contributed heavily to his decision to sell the player.
The new United boss likes a streamlined team and wants to stick to 24 players, and Espanyol will now wait to see if Mata fits in with his plans.
Mata joined Chelsea from Valencia for £23.5million in 2011 before moving to United two-and-a-half years later.