Manchester United have reportedly tabled their final offer to Spanish playmaker Juan Mata, who will be out of contract in the summer.
According to a report by Manchester Evening News, Juan Mata has had a final contract offer being tabled to him by current employers Manchester United. The Spaniard is in the final year of his deal with the Premier League heavyweights and is set to become a free agent in the summer, as things stand.
Juan Mata arrived at Manchester United from Chelsea in January 2014, with the Red Devils making him their record transfer back then. Having showed a lot of promise during his stint with the Blues, expectations were understandably high from the Spaniard.
Five years later, however, his stint at Old Trafford has turned out to be disappointing, with the player struggling to hold down a regular spot in the side. The same has been prevalent in the current campaign, with Mata making just 19 starts all season. And, his status in the side has only declined since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took charge in December.
The Spanish playmaker’s Manchester United future though, has been up in the air in recent months. His current contract runs out at the end of the season, which has made him an attractive target for clubs looking for cheap short-term solutions, with Barcelona among those linked with him of late.
Manchester United though, are reportedly looking to tie the player down to a new deal. However, there is a bone of contention in the club’s bid to reach an agreement over a renewal. While United have tabled a one-year contract that has an option of an additional year, Mata wants a deal which runs for 24 months before any additional time comes into the picture.
Their latest offer does not have a two-year duration either, but the report suggests Manchester United are hopeful of the 31-year-old putting pen to paper on the new deal.
Meanwhile, Manchester United have also offered an ambassadorial role at the end of his playing career to Mata, who has remained coy and focused on the job at hand on the pitch thus far. It now remains to be seen if the Spanish playmaker indeed renews terms at Old Trafford, or if he ends up leaving in the summer.
