Juventus and Atletico Madrid have joined Manchester United in the race to sign Blaise Matuidi this summer.
As per Cluadio Colla of Transfer Market Web, Manchester United will receive stiff competition from Juvventus and Atletico Madrid in the race to lure Paris St. Germain linchpin Blaise Matuidi in the summer.
The 30-year-old was a transfer target of the Manchester outfit since the summer as manager Jose Mourinho was looking to enforce a number of changes after he took over at the helm from Louis van Gaal.
After the conclusion of Euro 2016, Matuidi appeared to be closing in on a switch to Old Trafford, and was reportedly tempted to join forces with Mourinho at United. However, the move failed to materialise did not happen and Matuidi stayed on at Paris St. Germain.
Matuidi was probably the Portuguese manager’s backup option as the links seemed to have gone away after United paid a world-record fee for a certain Frenchman by the name of Paul Pogba.
The Red Devils failed to win the league this season and are all but certain to miss out on the top four. Thus, it has not gone according to plan for Mourinho, who promised to challenge for the league this campaign.
Due to a number of injuries, the Portuguese craved for quality in his squad, which eventually led to his side’s downfall. In midfield, Michael Carrick has showed no signs of slowing down but his age could finally catch up with him in the coming season.
As Carrick is a player that needs to be replaced, United reportedly reopened talks with Matuidi last month, but will now be disheartened to hear that two European heavyweights have entered the race to secure his signing in the summer.
Juventus and Atletico Madrid are guaranteed to play in the Champions League next season, which could be a major factor in deciding Matuidi’s future. United are still to secure a berth in the competition as they have to beat Ajax in the Europa League final.
Also, given Matuidi’s age, he may find it difficult to adapt in a fast paced and physical league, and could prefer moving to Italy or Spain.
Juventus and Atletico also arguably possess more world-class players in their ranks as compared to United, which will give the 30-year-old a more realistic chance of challenging for domestic and European glory.
Thus, it remains to be seen whether Mourinho can convince the Frenchman to move to England. However, with the player unlikely to grow in stature in the future, it may come as a major red flag to the teams that are looking to sign him.
