Manchester United round-up: Chelsea’s Matic nears move; Dier still keen; Darmian wants to stay

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Manchester United are confident of completing a move for Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic, say the Guardian. However, the operation could be a costly one as the Mirror report that Chelsea could charge United as much as £50 million for the Serbian in revenge for having lost out on the signing of Romelu Lukaku.

With Matic entering into the final year of his contract, that represents a huge price to pay for a player who will celebrate his 29th birthday next weekend. Whether or not he is worth that much may be decided by Jose Mourinho, who previously worked with Matic at Stamford Bridge.

An alternative could have been Tottenham’s Eric Dier. A deal for the England international now looks dead after Spurs chairman Daniel Levy refused to discuss a potential transfer, but the Manchester Evening News say that Dier remains keen on making the move to Old Trafford.

Without Levy’s agreement and allowing the club to negotiate a price, it could be meaningless. However, it is a good sign for the Red Devils if one of the country’s top young midfielders would be happy to move to Manchester, and they may look to reignite their interest in the near future.

At the other end of the spectrum, a player who is hoping not to make a move is Italian defender Matteo Darmian. The Independent say that the full-back desperately wants to remain at Old Trafford this summer. Juventus have been linked with Darmian, but he revealed:

“Every time I read something about my future… but (there is) nothing news (wise). I am happy here. I think also it is a part of our work, these kind of rumours. Like I said before, I am happy here so nothing news (wise). I am a Manchester United player – that’s it.”

Darmian proved to be a valuable option for Mourinho last season, featuring both at left-back and right-back, but rarely nailed down a regular spot in the starting eleven. This season, he will be looking to do exactly that.

Featured Image: All rights reserved by Il Giornale dello Sport.