London, Nov 2: Juventus are ready to sign Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata as a free transfer and set to open talks in January, according to rumours.

The Spaniard, who joined Manchester United in January 2014 only has six months remaining in his contract and is yet to be offered a new deal. The Italian giants thus are now ready to utilise the occasion and reportedly will have a chat with the player in January who by then will be free to speak to foreign clubs because of Bosman transfer rules.

Juventus lately have made a habit of picking star players in a free transfer and apparently have shortlisted the Spaniard as their next free recruitment having swooped to sign the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Kingsley Coman, Dani Alves, Sami Khedira, and Emre Can on free transfers in recent years.

Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho however reportedly has told the United board to offer a new contract extension to the player but it is now to be seen if the player agrees to the new deal.

Under Mourinho, Mata has not been a regular in the squad, however, is understood to be highly valued by the Portuguese for his positive impact in the dressing room as well as in the pitch whenever called on.



Apart from Juventus, the 30-year-old also has recently been linked with a return to his old club Valencia where he made over 170 appearances between 2007 and 2011 and should the player ultimately decides not to renew his contract with the Old Trafford side, a big possibility might arrive of him returning to Spain next Summer.

The attacker's situation however also could interest money-filled clubs in the MLS and China - but the 30-year-old is understood to be not willing to switch to much less competitive leagues at an early age and wishes to be top European football for some more years.