According to a recent report by Mundo Deportivo, Manchester United midfielder, Juan Mata is being linked with a move to Barcelona with Ernesto Valverde ready to give up on Philippe Coutinho following the pending arrival of Frenkie de Jong from AFC Ajax next summer.
Manchester Evening News mentions that the Red Devils could now have the ideal opportunity to secure the services of the Barca outcast to replace Mata who would become a free agent at the end of this campaign.
Coutinho has hardly started matches for the Catalans of late and seems to have fallen out of favour with Valverde in what appears to be over the lack of game time under the Spanish manager this season. Hence, United will now have a great chance of luring the Brazilian talent to Old Trafford.
Juan Mata has also been a sporadic feature for the Reds of Manchester this term as his work-rate off the ball is quite low compared to other players. Hence, talented wingers such as Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Alexis Sanchez have all been preferred ahead of him in the Old Trafford pecking order under the club’s new interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær.
There are no doubts over Coutinho’s incredible talent and his ability to be one of the best players in the Premier League. Hence, it would be a blockbuster move if Man United can somehow manage to convince the Brazilian to make a return to England, but this time to play for his former club’s arch-rivals at the red half of Manchester.
Barca can also benefit from bringing in a player of Mata’s ball-playing ability to improve their overall squad depth at the Nou Camp. Hence, it seems like a mutually beneficial deal which could be a good move for all parties. Having said that, it is worth noting that both transfers would be separate and so the Red Devils would have to cough up a significant transfer fee if they do end up pursuing Coutinho in the summer.
On the other hand, the Catalans would be acquiring a player of Mata’s quality on a free transfer meaning that they won’t be under any obligation to do business with Man United. Hence, we can conclude that it is highly unlikely that Coutinho would make a move to the Theatre of Dreams next summer as it would upset a lot of Liverpool fans who still adore him because of his majestic contributions at Anfield in the previous years.
