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David Bond of the BBC is reporting that Manchester United have now made a bid for Chelsea's Juan Mata, though noting that United have denied making such an offer. Confused? I am. Here's what he had to say:
Manchester United have made a bid in the region of £35m for Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata. Mata, 25, has been linked with a move from Stamford Bridge having not held down a regular starting place since Jose Mourinho returned as manager.
United deny making an official offer, but an initial bid has been tabled through intermediaries acting on behalf of the Premier League champions.
United reportedly used intermediaries at one point this summer as well, and the resulting collapse was one of the most hilarious stories of the summer. I can't say I'd be overly upset to see the same happen in this case, if for no other reason than to laugh my behind off at Ed Woodward.
The monetary value of the bid is a bit upsetting as well, as I think most of us who are willing to entertain this idea at all would prefer to see a larger sum for Mata*. That said, Ed Woodward doesn't exactly seem to be a particularly competent negotiator, so I'm sure we'd be able to squeeze him for some more before any sort of move is completed.
*Sky have chimed in as I was writing this, giving us the same information of a bid but with a larger figure...
We're told Manchester United, via third party, make £40m bid for Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata. #mufc #cfc
— Bryan Swanson (@skysports_bryan) January 22, 2014
