Juan Mata: ‘I would want De Gea in my team’
By Lee Kilby
Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has conceded that he wants his club and country team-mate David de Gea to ‘be happy’, although he would still prefer he didn’t leave Manchester United for Real Madrid.
The Spain goalkeeper is now expected to swap Old Trafford for the Bernabeu this summer after refusing a reported £200,000-per-week offer to stay in the Premier League.
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United team-mate Mata will accept whatever decision the 24-year-old makes, but admits he still selfishly wants the club’s player of the year ‘in my team’.
‘Lots of people ask me about De Gea. He’s a friend and I want him to be happy,’ he told Marca.
‘He’s currently one of the best goalkeepers in the world. From a selfish point of view, I would want to have him in my team.’
If Real Madrid progress with this deal, the ball is firmly in Manchester United’s court. With just one year left De Gea’s contract, Real Madrid want the price to be around £20m. However, with United’s interest in Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos, they are likely to ask about his availability in any further negotiations.
It is being reported that Sergio Ramos is unhappy in Madrid over a dispute about wages, and Sergio Ramos feels he isn’t being respected enough for a player who has been at the club for a decade. He has reportedly asked to leave the Santiago Bernabeu and begin negotiations with Manchester United. Real Madrid could use Ramos as bait to entice Manchester United into making a deal.
If negotiations are going to proceed, both clubs are likely to be stubborn. If Sergio Ramos does want to leave Real Madrid, and David De Gea want to sign for Real Madrid, a potential cash-plus-player swap deal could occur. Sergio Ramos still has two years left on his current deal, and with De Gea only having one left, Real Madrid are likely do demand money plus De Gea for Ramos.
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Should De Gea complete the move to Madrid, he will play under Rafa Benitez – who guided Mata to Europa League success as interim Chelsea manager in 2013.
Mata believes his former manager will return Real Madrid to their previous winning ways after they finished last season without a trophy, and went out to Juventus in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
‘I had him at Chelsea and we won the Europa League. It was a great campaign, my best in terms of statistics,’ Mata said.
‘Benitez knows how to get the most out of every player and get them performing to their best. Benitez was key for me.’