Manchester United ready to go over £40m for Nemanja Matic after admitting defeat over 'impossible' Eric Dier deal

Manchester United will go back in for Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic, and believe they can yet persuade the Premier League champions to sell, but are aware it will likely be for a price of beyond £40m.

Manager Jose Mourinho sees bringing in a new defensive midfielder as the main priority left for the summer, although still wants to sign a wide player and a full-back, and the 28-year-old Serbian has long been one of his top targets for the position having played with him at Stamford Bridge.

United had felt that Chelsea would refuse to do a deal due to both the hijacking of their bid for Romelu Lukaku from Everton and the belief they would be strengthening a rival, but the champions’ recent progress in the market has given the Old Trafford hierarchy renewed confidence about the deal.

They are also greatly helped by the fact that Matic wants to go to United above anywhere else, despite strong interest from Juventus and Internazionale. It will now just be up to United to offer Chelsea a persuasive fee.

Mourinho had also sought to sign Eric Dier for the position, but United sources say Tottenham Hotspur had proven “impossible” to deal with, and were totally unwilling to sell.