Manchester United will lodge a 23m bid for Valencia playmaker Juan Manuel Mata, according to sources close to the club.
Sir Alex Ferguson has been impressed with the Spain midfielders performances at the the Under-21 European Championship in Denmark and is ready to make a concrete offer for the player. Fergie sees the 23-year-old as the ideal replacement for the retired Paul Scholes and is planning to make an offer for the player next week.
United now appear front runners for Matas signature, after Manchester Citys interest waned in the wake of their pursuit for Udinese star Alexi Sanchez.
Mata was a member of Spain's World Cup-winning squad, is regarded as one of the rising stars of La Liga and the Red Devils could face stiff competition from Champions League winners Barcelona. The versatile performer can operate in several positions, including midfielder, left wing or as a secondary striker. He is seen as a cheaper alternative to Uniteds long-term target Wesley Sneijder, with the Inter Milan star valued at 35million.
Whilst Mata has a 45 million buyout clause in his contract, the Spanish clubs financial struggles mean United could secure his services for around half that amount. I think he is a cracking young player and has performed well on the international stage at the under 21's and I'm sure he will be making more frequent appearances for the senior team in the nearby future. Sadly I don't see him much on a domestic level with Valencia and my only real experience of him has been on Fifa 11! However he is a young prospect I would love to see in the Premier League and I believe he would definitely benefit the United midfield.
To be truthfully honest, my form of research is simply watching some video highlights. Putting his name into youtube, the first video that came up showed me this:
Not too shabby. It is him who does the skill by the way!
Matt Cooper
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