Juan Mata Confident Of United Stay With New Contract

Juan Mata wants to stay at Manchester United as the club are planning urgent contract talks with the midfielder, according to reports. The 30-year-old has less than a year remaining on his deal with United and will be free to negotiate with teams outside of the Premier League from the start of January.

Valencia have expressed interest in re-signing Mata and the possibility of a return was discussed when the Spanish club played at Old Trafford in the Champions League earlier this month.

But according to The Sun, Mata is keen to remain at Old Trafford and United are desperate to begin talks with the midfielder, who is represented by his father. United are hopeful that an agreement can be reached in the next few weeks, but Mata’s main priority is playing time.

Mata, a £37.1 million signing from Chelsea, has started only two games in the Premier League this season, while he has only played 21 minutes in the Champions League.

‘Mata’s dad is a tough negotiator and it has not gone down well how this situation has been allowed to drag on,’ a source at United told The Sun. ‘United will try their best to convince them to stay, but it is by no means certain that even extra cash will do the trick.’