Report: Juan Mata Agrees to Man United Contract Extension
Manchester United star Juan Mata has reportedly agreed to sign a new contract at Old Trafford, after learning that Barcelona have dropped their interest.
The 31-year-old has just days left on his current deal with Manchester United and had looked set to become a free agent this summer, with him most notably linked with a return to Spain and even being tipped for a reunion with Rafa Benitez at Newcastle.
But the latest update in Mata's future comes from Catalan outlet Sport, who claim that the midfielder 'has agreed' to sign a new three-year contract in the north-west.
They add that Mata will retire at Manchester United as a result of this new contract.
Although Barcelona were interested in bringing Mata to Camp Nou earlier this summer, their decision to drop all interest in the midfielder hasn't come as a result of the player's new deal.
Instead, Barcelona are understood to be planning to undergo a rejuvenation project which will bring the average age of their squad down, although a recent £35m bid for Chelsea's Willian would still suggest otherwise.
Back at Manchester United, tying up Mata for the next three years will offer some much-needed familiarity to the squad, especially as Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba appear to push for moves away from the club this summer.
Belgium international Lukaku has been flirting with a move to Italy for a number of months and it's believed newly appointed Inter manager Antonio Conte is interested in signing the 26-year-old as a direct replacement for Mauro Icardi.
For Pogba, he appeared to issue a come and get me plea to Zinedine Zidane and Real Madrid after admitting that he wanted to have a "new challenge" away from United next season.
He's also been attracting interest from Serie A champions Juventus, who have been considering re-signing Pogba some time before they appointed Maurizio Sarri as their new head coach.
