Manchester United are poised to complete the purchase of Nemanja Matic from Chelsea and are due to hold talks with Galatasaray at the start of the week over a deal to sell Marouane Fellaini.
The signing of Matic would be a significant boost to José Mourinho after United drew a blank in efforts to purchase Eric Dier from Tottenham Hotspur.
Juventus are also keen on Matic but the midfielder prefers a move to Old Trafford to link up again with Mourinho. Talks between United and Chelsea over a fee have taken some time, with the clubs initially substantially apart over the price.
Chelsea had set their sights on receiving £50m and it is not yet clear what the fee will be for the 28-year-old. They were particularly keen to drive a hard bargain with United after missing out to them over the signing of Romelu Lukaku.
Next on Juventus’s list of midfield targets are Paris Saint-Germain’s Blase Matuidi and Sevilla’s Steven N’Zonzi.
Galatasaray are confident of securing Fellaini, with the Turkish club's president, Dursun Ozbek, or another board member due in Manchester on Monday or Tuesday to finalise a transfer.
An agreement has been reached in principle with Fellaini over a four-year contract worth in the region of €4m (£3.6m), which would make him their highest-paid player. The 29-year-old joined United from Everton for £27.5m in 2013.
Galatasaray, who recently parted ways with Wesley Sneijder, are also in talks with the Manchester City midfielder Fernando but Fellaini is their priority.
(Guardian service)
