Manchester United have been told they can have Juan Mata - for £40 million. That's the news that broke at the start of the week and though Chelsea are apparently reciprocal to the idea of selling their unused star to the champions, a move remains unlikely. Mata is very much on the fringes at Stamford Bridge having only made 13 Premier League appearances this season, and was left out of the Blues' win over United at the weekend. The Red Devils are desperate to add creativity to their midfield and the Spain star would certainly be a tonic, having created more chances than all of their central midfielders combined this term. With 30 chances created, that's more than half that mustered up by Michael Carrick and dwarfs Tom Cleverley's seven, Shinji Kagawa's six, Darren Fletcher's two and Marouane Fellaini's one. But a move is probably not going to happen. £40 million would shatter United's transfer record while it is unlikely Chelsea would strengthen a direct opponent, in spite of the Red Devil's failings this season. Then there's the added complications of Wayne Rooney with the Blues likely to ask that the striker be involved in any deal, having chased him since last summer. United cannot be without Rooney if they are to maintain even their slim chances of finishing in the top four and trading the Englishman is probably the best shot they have of landing Mata. A move to native Atletico Madrid is perhaps more likely for Mata and here we take a look at 5 alternatives United could buy.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
