Man United Sign Nemanja Matic From Chelsea For £40m
Manchester United have signed Serbia midfielder Nemanja Matic
from Premier League champions Chelsea on a three-year contract with an option
to extend for a further year, both clubs said on Monday.
Financial
terms of the deal were not disclosed, but British media reported that United
paid between 40 million and 50 million pounds to reunite the 28-year-old
midfielder with manager Jose Mourinho.
"Nemanja
is a Manchester United player and a Jose Mourinho player. He represents
everything we want in a footballer; loyalty, consistency, ambition, team
player," Mourinho said in a statement.
"I
would like to thank him for his desire to join us because without that, it
would be impossible to have him here. I am sure our players and supporters will
love him. A big welcome to our new number 31."
Mourinho
signed Matic when he was in charge of Chelsea in 2014. Matic, who originally
joined Chelsea in 2009 before moving to Benfica in 2011, became an influential
part of Chelsea's title-winning side under Mourinho in 2014-15.
"To
work with Jose Mourinho once again was an opportunity I couldn’t turn
down," Matic said.
"This
is a very exciting time for the club and I am looking forward to playing my
part in creating more history for this great club."
Matic's
arrival followed Mourinho's unsuccessful move for Tottenham Hotspur's Eric Dier
as United seek to mount a serious Premier League challenge for the first time
since the departure of Alex Ferguson as manager in 2013.
Matic
made 40 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea last season as Italian
Antonio Conte marked his first season in charge of the London-based club by
winning the league.
However,
Chelsea's signing of Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko in this transfer window
was an indication that Matic could have struggled for game time next season.
United
have also signed defender Victor Lindelof from Benfica and striker Romelu
Lukaku from Everton.
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