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According to the BBC, Manchester United have tabled an official bid of around £35 million for Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata. Their sports editor David Bond reports:
"Manchester United have made a bid in the region of £35m for Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata...United deny making an official offer, but an initial bid has been tabled through intermediaries acting on behalf of the Premier League champions."
Why is this significant? Well, up until now there had been no reports of any official bid being made -- and you'll remember United denying having made an offer in a statement a couple of days ago. So while agreements had likely been made, no formal bid had been tabled.
According to Bond, that has now changed -- and the BBC aren't ones to report gossip and hearsay.
What with Mata missing training today and the Daily Telegraph's Matt Law claiming that the Spaniard has told his friends and family he's off to Old Trafford, it's safe to assume there's substance to this story.
Update:
Sky's Bryan Swanson seems to think that the bid is actually £40 million, though the fact that multiple big sources are picking up on this story is promising:
We're told Manchester United, via third party, make £40m bid for Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata. #mufc #cfc
— Bryan Swanson (@skysports_bryan) January 22, 2014
