Blaise Matuidi heads to Manchester to complete Utd move

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Jose Mourinho is set to seal a surprise deal for French international, Blaise Matuidi, 29. The Paris St Germain midfielder, for so long heavily linked with Arsenal, has been given permission to leave the French Euro 2016 camp so that a £40m move to Old Trafford can be completed.

The new Manchester United boss is dramatically overhauling last season’s underperforming squad and has already landed Eric Bailly, 22, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 34, and last weekend, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, 27. With Paul Pogba, 23, a key target and believed to be favouring a move to Manchester, half the starting line-up will be changed.

Matuidi, with 459 club appearances under his belt, is seen as the perfect partner to Pogba in the centre of United’s midfield. Former England international Michael Carrick, 35, is at the end of his career but recently signed a one-year deal to help the transition between the Van Gaal and Mourinho eras.

With a strong defensive ethic, Matuidi would allow Pogba to advance further up the pitch without too much concern for providing a barrier to the back four.

He has made five appearances for his country at Euro 2016 this summer, alongside Leicester’s N’Golo Kante, 25, in the centre of the midfield. The pair have been the bedrock upon which France’s success has been built.

If Mourinho is successful in persuading the midfielder to leave Paris St Germain, it will be something of a coup. And the beginning of a formidable partnership in the centre of the pitch.

 

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