Transfer news: Juan Mata set for talks at Chelsea amid reported interest from Atletico Madrid
Mata looking for a way out of Chelsea to save his World Cup dream, according to reports
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Your support makes all the difference.Chelsea’s unsettled midfielder Juan Mata will hold ‘showdown’ talks with Blues manager Jose Mourinho this week after Atletico Madrid expressed an interest in taking the Spaniard on loan and saving his dwindling World Cup aspirations.
The Daily Mirror report that Juan Mata Senior, the 25-year-old’s father and agent, will travel to London to discuss his son’s future at Stamford Bridge.
With the Spanish club challenging Barcelona for the La Liga title, currently level on points with the Catalan giants, Atlético are willing to meet Mata’s wage demands as Chelsea’s Player of the Year for the past two seasons fights for his spot in the national side.
The paper also suggests that Mata has grown ‘angry’ at his treatment under Mourinho, after being substituted at Southampton on New Year’s Day in the latest in a long line of disagreements between the pair.
Last week Napoli manager – and former Blues interim head coach – Rafael Benitez expressed his interest in the former Valencia and Real Madrid B man but it would appear unlikely that Chelsea’s Portuguese manager would be willing to sell to his old foe.
Mata is said to prefer a switch back to Spain, however, and Atlético are confident that their stable relationship with the London club – through loaning Thibaut Courtois for two seasons – will stand them in good stead.
After their 2-0 victory over Derby County in the FA Cup third round, Mourinho admitted that it 'hurts' to leave Mata out of the side.
"I try to do my job forgetting that I am a soft heart and pretending that I am a hard heart," the 50-year-old said.
"With decisions I have to make, many times it hurts me, many times it hurts him. But the best way to do my job is to think that the team is more important than any player.
"When I have to make decisions, I always try to be a cold one, icy, analysing the situation and trying to make the best decision for the team. But yes, it hurts me."
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