What’s the story
Following the intense drama of the Romelu Lukaku hijacking, the repercussions heading Manchester United’s way are just starting to unfold. According to a report from The Daily Mail, Inter Milan have entered the race for Nemanja Matic and have assumed pole position to sign the Serb from a disgruntled Chelsea side.
In case you didn’t know...
Michael Carrick’s impending retirement is a source of worry for Jose Mourinho. In what could be a major setback to Manchester United’s pursuit for a stopgap in the heart of the midfield, the Old Trafford outfit had been waiting for Chelsea to wave the green flag on Nemanja Matic.
Clearly feeling cheesed off about the Lukaku deal, Chelsea have reportedly decided to stall the deal and instead let the Serbian midfielder head to Italy and join Inter Milan.
Manchester United have been linked with Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic with a deal on the verge of being finalised after the Croatian reportedly agreed personal teams with the Red Devils.
The heart of the matter
Antonio Conte was left frustrated after they lost out to Manchester United in the race to sign Romelu Lukaku in a bid to find a replacement for Diego Costa who is on the verge of a departure from Stamford Bridge. In what can be seen as a new low in the Chelsea-Manchester United relationship, the West londoners have decided that they’re not going to let their defensive midfielder leave for Manchester United.
The Blues had been stalling the deal for quite a while now, in the expectation that Timoue Bakayoko will join them from AS Monaco. With the Bakayoko deal reportedly getting close to completion, United were hoping to close the Matic deal.
Also read: Why Manchester United are better off with Romelu Lukaku than Alvaro Morata
Luciano Spalletti seems to put one over on United out of the fallout and has entered the race for Nemanja Matic who is valued at £35million. Inter Milan have been on the lookout for a defensive midfielder and had earlier been linked with Sevilla’s Steven N’Zonzi and Fiorentina star Matias Vecino.
Matic, who is in his second spell at Stamford Bridge, has appeared 151 times for Chelsea since joining from Benfica three years ago on a £21m transfer. His partnership with N’Golo Kante has been effective and the duo’s performances played a major role in propelling Chelsea towards the Premier League crown last season.
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Author’s take
Nemanja Matic, at nearly 29 years of age, won’t be a long-term solution but still has some tricks up his sleeve to be an effective addition to any team in the centre of the midfield. Matias Vecino, who Inter have been linked with earlier in the summer, is younger and will be available at around the same price if not cheaper. But with immediate results in mind, one cannot blame Inter for wanting the Serb who has played and impressed at the highest level time and again.
