Man Utd yet to make move on £37m star whose contract is expiring

Manchester United have a number of players now in the final six months of their current deals at Old Trafford.

One of those is Spanish star Juan Mata.  The 29-year-old cost us £37.1 million when David Moyes signed him from Chelsea in January 2014.

Last season he was only a bit part player in Jose Mourinho’s side but has been much more involved for the Portuguese coach this term, predominately down the right wing.

However, whether he will be offered a new contract beyond this season, and whether the Spanish international will sign it, remains to be seen.

The IB Times are today reporting that we have until May to agree a new contract with Juan Mata or risk losing him on a free transfer in the summer.  In fact, since he is in the final six months of his current deal, he has been free to discuss a move to a foreign club since New Year’s Day.

Mata is reportedly earning £165,000-a-week at Manchester United but that would not put off many clubs should they be able to sign him for nothing.

We do actually have a clause in the contract to trigger an extra 12 months in his deal.  There is no news that this clause has been triggered to date which makes you wonder whether he is going to be at Old Trafford beyond the 2017-18 season.

We are limited with options down the right wing with Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford having little-to-no effect when they’ve played out wide this season.  Even if Mourinho does have a replacement in mind, Mata could always be a useful option in the first team.  He’s capable of playing well in all three attacking midfield positions behind the striker which makes him an excellent backup option if Mourinho doesn’t want to play him every week.

We shall see in the coming days, weeks or months where Juan Mata’s future lies.