Manchester United star Juan Mata, whose contract expires at the end of the season, has emerged as a target for former club Valencia.
According to a report from La Razon, La Liga outfit Valencia are considering the possibility of re-signing former playmaker Juan Mata from Manchester United ahead of the next season.
The 32-year-old made his name at Valencia, where he spent four years between 2007 and 2011 before moving to England, when he signed for Chelsea. During his time with Los Che, Mata racked up 174 appearances for the club, scoring 46 goals and setting up 52 more, winning the Copa del Rey in the process.
After over three years at Chelsea, during which he established himself as one of the finest No. 10s in the Premier League, Mata joined Manchester United in midway through the 2013/14 campaign.
While he hasn’t always been a regular starter at Old Trafford, the 32-year-old Spaniard has been a very handy player for the Red Devils under each of the managers he has played. Till date, the ex-Valencia man has featured 265 times for Manchester United, bagging 50 goals and 47 assists, winning a League Cup, an FA Cup and the UEFA Europa League.
Still a valuable squad player due to his vast experience, Mata, however, has seen his game-time reduce drastically this season. Indeed, the Spanish playmaker has made just ten appearances across all competitions, contributing with a couple of goals.
Now that he is in the final six months of his current contract with Manchester United, there are question marks being raised his future at Old Trafford beyond the ongoing campaign. While it is true that the Red Devils retain the option of extending his stay at the club by another twelve months, Valencia are hoping to re-sign the Spaniard at the end of the season.
Valencia have been hit with a spate of financial troubles which has seen them offload several of their top stars last summer. The La Liga outfit continue to court offers for some of their top players even now as well, with Los Che open to selling the likes of Carlos Soler and Maxi Gomez, both of whom have been linked with Arsenal.
They plan to strengthen their squad mostly with loan deals and free agents over the next few months, with Mata emerging as one such player who they are looking to sign on a free when his current deal with Manchester United expires. It, however, remains to be seen if the veteran playmaker ends up securing a return to the Mestalla come summer.
