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Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata could follow Andreas Pereira to Lazio, according to a report by the AS. The Spaniard's contract with the Old Trafford club ends at the end of the season, with the club having an option to extend it for another year.
Lazio were close to securing the signature of David Silva on a free transfer, only for the Spaniard to move to Spain with Real Sociedad. Mata, a player of a similar ilk, could provide the same qualities in the attacking-third as Silva.
Manchester United's Juan Mata attracting interest from Lazio
Lazio sporting director Igli Tare confirmed that the club are confident of securing the signature of Manchester United midfielder Andreas Pereira. The midfielder could join the Roman side on loan, with Lazio getting an option to buy the player for €15m (£13.6m), as reported by Sky Sports.
"We expect the Andreas Pereira deal to be completed in the next 2-3 days with Man United."
Lazio manager Simone Inzaghi, who took the side to a fourth-place finish last season in the Serie A, believes that Pereira could be a quality addition to his squad:
I know him, he is a quality player who can give us a big helping hand. I don’t want to talk too much about players who haven’t signed yet — we’ll see if he arrives or not.
Juan Mata, like Pereira, lost his place in the Manchester United starting lineup after the arrival of Bruno Fernandes. Mata scored his first goal of the season in the Carabao Cup but has been largely restricted to Cup appearances.
Manchester United manager Ole Gunner Solskjaer has a number of options to play as a right-winger: Jesse Lingard, Daniel James and Mason Greenwood. The Red Devils will be happy to free up Mata's wages from their books if the player leaves.
Manchester United are in the market for a left-back and a right-winger. Alex Telles of Porto and Jadon Sancho of Borussia Dortmund have been the most mentioned names in this regard, but a deal is yet to be agreed for either player.
The 13-time Premier League champions have started poorly in the competition as they lost their first game of the season at home to Crystal Palace. In their next game, they managed to scrape through against Brighton after playing poorly for most of the game and need new additions to rejuvenate their squad.
