Reports: Chelsea to sell Nemanja Matic to Manchester United
Chelsea will reportedly sell Nemanja Matic to Manchester United in order to make space for the arrival of Monaco’s Tiemoue Bakayoko.
With rumours of a summer shake-up at Stamford Bridge, the latest reports claim that Chelsea are willing to sell Nemanja Matic to Manchester United. This is to clear room in the squad for Monaco midfielder, Tiemoue Bakayoko, whom the club have been extensively linked with.
The Times reports that the champions will green light Matic’s exit, with Bakayoko’s arrival due to be announced in the near future.
"Antonio Conte is prepared to sanction the sale of Nemanja Matic to Manchester United in order to accelerate the signing of Tiemoué Bakayoko in what will be the start of an extensive rebuild of the Chelsea squad.Chelsea have reached an agreement with Monaco for the French midfielder in a deal worth about £36milllion. Terms are still to be agreed, but Bakayoko is expected to move in the next few days."
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Matic has been rumoured to be on his way out after an underwhelming couple of years. The Serbian returned to Chelsea in early 2014. He was sensational during the successful 2014/15 campaign. However, he thoroughly disappointed during the following season and was not much more impressive last term.
Antonio Conte is eager to refresh the squad ahead of a packed 2016/17 campaign. Champions League football means that the Blues need to have quality depth, but dead wood must also be moved on.
Matic and Jose Mourinho have enjoyed a decent working relationship and hence it is no wonder that the former Blues boss is interested in him. The somewhat surprising thing, though, is that Chelsea are happy to sell to a direct rival.
This could represent what Conte currently thinks of Matic. Selling him to a team that will compete for both the Premier League and Champions League will apparently not negatively impact the Blues. If so, that is quite damning and perhaps misguided.
Nevertheless, Chelsea fans should be excited about the arrival of Bakayoko. The midfielder is an extremely talented player who has earned many suitors. The Blues appear to be in pole position to land his signature and he should be ready to showcase his potential from August.
The 22-year-old has done nothing but catch the eye in his first proper season in the Monaco first team. Bringing him to Stamford Bridge will only strengthen the spine of the Blues as they seek to win more trophies next term.
What do you think of this report? Would you prefer to keep Nemanja Matic? Let us know in the comments below!