Nemanja Matic is closing in on a free transfer to Roma. The midfielder will leave United when his contract expires at the end of the season, the club have confimed.
Now reporters Gianluca di Marzio and Fabrizio Romano both report Matic is set to sign for Jose Mourinho for a third time, with Roma.
Matic set to sign for Jose Mourinho for a third time
This free transfer would see Nemanja Matic reunited with Jose Mourinho once again. The Portuguese boss signed Matic from Benfica for Chelsea for a fee of £21 million in 2014.
Three years later Mourinho spent almost double the fee, with Manchester United buying him from Chelsea for £40 million.
Matic had his moments at United, but his 2014-2017 spell at Chelsea were his best years in English football.
There was a clause in Matic’s contract which gave United the option to extend his deal into next season, but a mutual agreement was made for the midfielder to leave this summer.
The 33-year-old Serbian has only been a bit-part player for the last couple of seasons at United and it is time to move on.
Matic’s release along with Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, Lee Grant and Edinson Cavani, could save around £44 million on the club’s annual wage bill.
A move to Italian football should suit Matic at this stage of his career, and he will join a manager who trusts him and who he already has a rapport with.
While a move appears to be close to agreement, it may only be formally announced by Roma on July 1, after his Manchester United contract has officially expired.
Matic played 189 times for United, coincidentally exactly the same number of games Ander Herrera played for the club, with both midfielders leaving on free transfers.
Matic unfortunately did not win a single trophy with United, and was an unused substitute in the 2021 Europa League final.
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