Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic has been informed that he is no longer in Conte’s plans for the next season, but has been left confused about a potential exit this summer – with Manchester United and Juventus at loggerheads to secure his signatures.
Matic had reportedly agreed personal terms with Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United and was on the verge of completing a £40million move to Old Trafford but the Blues stalled the deal after United hijacked Romelu Lukaku from under their noses for a £75million transfer fee.
Ex-Chelsea boss Jose Mouroinho is keen on roping in his former player and the Red Devils bosses are ready to beat competition from the Serie A club to capture the Serbian midfielder.
Meanwhile, Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri has asked the Old Lady hierarchy to step up their pursuit of the Chelsea star but the Serie A champions are not ready to match United’s bid for Matic.
Juventus might face an uphill task in reaching an agreement with Chelsea for Matic as the Serie A club are not willing to offload Blues defensive target Alex Sandro – having drawn huge criticism after offloading ace defender Leonardo Bonucci to arch rivals AC Milan.
The Juventus bosses are not interested in a swapping Sandro for Matic and are looking forward to secure the services of the experienced midfielder in a separate deal.
Earlier, Matic was also linked with moves to Inter Milan and Arsenal but sources reveal that both the clubs have never confirmed their interest in the Serbian.
But it is believed that the Red Devils are in pole position to rope in the Serbian after reports claim that Juventus are not happy with the price-tag set by the Blues.
Chelsea have jetted out on their pre-season tour of Asia but has left Matic behind to train alone at Cobham Training Centre.
Earlier it was believed that Matic was happy with life at Chelsea and had splurged cash to buy a new house in London after the Blues clinched the Premier League title in Conte’s debut campaign in England. But now he is ready to part ways with the club – after being told that he is no longer wanted.