Manchester United agree £50m Nemanja Matic fee with only bonus payments with Chelsea holding transfer up
Jose Mourinho made defensive midfielder one of his top priorities this summer and looks set for reunion with Serbian
MANCHESTER UNITED are close to agreeing a £50million deal to sign Nemanja Matic from Chelsea.
Jose Mourinho has made a defensive midfielder one of his top priorities this summer.
The Chelsea midfielder has already agreed terms to make the switch to Old Trafford.
But the deal will not go through until the clubs can agree on extra payments United will have to make to the champions, based on their results and the number of games played by the Serbia international.
United have already completed the signings of centre-back Victor Lindelof and striker Romelu Lukaku.
And Mourinho admitted he was looking for two more signings — thought to be a wide player and a defensive midfielder.
The Red Devils boss’s signing of Matic at Stamford Bridge in 2014 was seen as one of the key reasons they went onto claim the title.
After a dip in form in 2015-16, which was replicated by many of his team-mates at Chelsea and saw Mourinho shown the door, he returned to form, playing a key role for Antonio Conte’s championship-winning side last term.
However, the Blues brought in 22-year-old Tiemoue Bakayoko from Monaco to play alongside N’Golo Kante.
And Matic was left out of Chelsea's pre-season tour of Asia and trained at the club's Cobham training ground.
Juventus and Inter Milan were also keen on the 28-year-old but his preference is to join up once again with Mourinho.
Matic's arrival at United could spell the end for Marouane Fellaini in Manchester with the Belgian linked with a move to Turkish giants Galatasaray.