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What's the story?
Manchester United want Juan Mata to become an ambassador for the club once he retires from professional football.
In case you didn't know...
Juan Mata joined Manchester United back in 2014 from Chelsea for around £40m. He's been with the club for over five years now and his contract is set to expire in the summer.
Although contract negotiations have taken place, neither party has been able to come to an agreement thus far. As there are only six months remaining on his contract, Mata is eligible to discuss his future with other clubs and has been linked with the likes of Juventus, Barcelona and Inter Milan.
It's understood that Mata's preference is to stay at United, but unless a contract renewal is decided upon soon, the club may lose him on a free transfer on July 1.
Rumours surrounding the contract talks right now suggest that there is an issue in regards to contract length, with the 31-year-old after a two-year extension. It appears as if United's policy on players over 30 is to offer them one-year deals, but Mata wants more, and that's where the problem lies right now.
The heart of the matter
The main reason behind why Man United want Juan Mata to become a club ambassador stems from the charity work that he undertakes through his 'Mata's Common Goal' initiative, which launched in August 2017.
It encourages footballers to donate 1% of their salaries to not-for-profit organizations target social change and integration. In total, 80 managers and players in the world football have pledged to the cause so far, raising £1.1m. Strangely enough, none of the members of United's first team have pledged any money of their own just yet.
What next?
The chances of Mata agreeing to become the club's ambassador after his retirement are high, given the respect and admiration he has for the Red Devils. But with regards to talks of his contract renewal, that looks less likely to happen with each passing day. He may feel its time for a new challenge, away from the Premier League.
