Juventus have reportedly ended their pursuit for Chelsea midfielder Nemanjic Matic, leaving Manchester United the firm favourites for the 28-year-old’s signature.
The Italian giants are not willing to match the £40million valuation of the Serbian international.
Despite being a top target for Massimiliano Allegri, the Serie A giants have now pulled out of the race for the Serbian – according to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.
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Following the arrival of Tiemoue Bakayoko from Monaco, Matic’s opportunities for first team football at Chelsea look limited.
The 28-year-old is keen to reignite his relationship with Jose Mourinho, with the pair already associates from their time at Stamford Bridge.
However, the Blues have already turned down United’s initial offer of £35m.
The Serbian international is under contract with Chelsea until June 2019, but last term’s Premier League champions are willing to offload the 28-year-old.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has given the green light for Matic to move to their Premier League rivals.
Jose Mourinho is looking to add two more players to his squad ahead of the new term.
At the pre-match press conference ahead of United’s match with Real Madrid, the United boss said: “I told that my plan was to get four players to give balance to the team in all the different areas, to make a better squad.
“As you know the players belong to clubs, the players are in pre-season, the managers and owners are not happy if you speak about them. The same as me.”
Matic is missing Chelsea’s pre-season tour of China and he has been seen training on his own.
United have already signed Victor Lindelof and Romelu Lukaku, but Mourinho is looking for a new deal to bolster his midfield.
