GlasgowBlue

They're paying him double what we are?!? DOUBLE? Mugs.

Had to disappear there, one of our rabbits just passed away :(

Yeah, Atletico would be difficult to deal with given their position. I thought the whole Spanish release clause that's mandatory in their contracts only applied to domestic bids? No?

Come on, stick to the topic eh?

Can I just say I enjoy watching ANYONE kick Barcelona off the pitch?

Mancs are saying "wonder kid" on one wing and Mata on the other. He's not a winger.

I wasn't saying we should be buying a striker now, as there's no way clubs sell their best players in this window. Mata is an exception as he's out of favour with the manager. As for the others out scoring us, it doesn't worry me this season. We are two off the top and Mata has hardly featured. 1-0 gets the same points as 9-0.

Salah? Papers said Liverpool are in talks for him?

Di Maria? And where does he fit in? Our midfield is settled, Jose has picked his men. We need a younger, more physical, quality striker. A proven goalscorer is a priority for me.

That's what I'm most worried about. I used to look on smugly at a squad with Mata, Hazard, and Oscar in it. All early 20's and amongst the best midfielders in the world.

Come on, while this is frustrating lets not turn on Jose.

Fair dues mate. I agree he's a brilliant creative force (his stats don't lie). What I don't understand is how Willian gets in the side ahead of someone like Mata. Yes he does the defensive side well ... oh wait, there's a pattern forming here.

Comparing Mata's last two years to how Hazard has performed this season so far I'd agree with you. Eden's been on another planet this year, although losing Mata puts real pressure on us to hold onto both Hazard and Oscar.

Mata did train, he just trained without the ball and done physical work, probably to avoid any injury in bounce games ahead of the move.

I don't think Mata is better than Oscar, but I may be biased because I love that wee Brazilian.

Redcafe: Hannibal said: He's there player of the season for 2 years in a row. I dunno about you but Chelsea is throwing away a very expensive gem. I still think Mata is better than Hazard & Oscar. His freekicks alone are worth £20m each. What a load of pish.

There's talk of United going for Cavani. I'd rather we signed him than that torn faced Scouse arse.

I agree with the sentiments of many others here by saying that the manner in which Mata has been treated by Jose is disgusting. We will now be feeling a little how Madrid fans felt when he froze out Casillas, albeit Casillas is still with Madrid and still hasn't regained the No 1 starters spot, but in terms of pissing off and completely freezing out a star player and fan favourite, it's similar. We bid for Rooney and we're told where to go because we are a domestic rival. They ask about Mata, we bend over and ask for £40m. If there isn't a sensational twist in the tail of this story and we're selling for the sake of financial fair play I will be sick.

I wouldn't be too sure about Mata feeding RVP anything. He's done his old Arsenal trick, taken the huff and said he's injured and not 100% fit. There was a piece on SSN last week about a bit of aggro because the physio says he's fit but RVP says he's not 100% and won't risk it.

This is one FIFA 14 edit I'm not looking forward to making!

1m ago. @GuillemBalague: All agreed. Juan Mata will be a Manchester United player. 45 million euros. All will be announced very soon Sorry guys, posted at the same time as you.

And why are United doing this via a "third party"? Who exactly?

I still don't buy the theory that Jose secretly rates Mata and hasn't played him on purpose so he can sell him to United before following him there. That's the very best of paranoia! There is more chance of Ferguson returning to steady the ship than Jose going there.

Once Jose makes his mind up he's right, he's right. He dropped Casillas, a decision I felt was wrong for Madrid, and despite fan pressure he kept faith with Lopez. Mata is a luxury to Jose, he's not listened to the advice to alter one aspect of his game. Look at Hazard. Within the first five minutes on Sunday he was back at his own right hand side corner flag helping win the ball back. You can't say Hazard has suffered form wise since taking that on board. Look where we are without Mata. I am not against selling him in the summer as long as it's abroad. I am baffled as to why we would want to help Utd get stronger and I think Jose has looked at this very short term. We don't play Utd again domestically and Mata can't play in the CL this season due to being cup tied. He might do damage in games against City and Arsenal which in turn help us in the title race but for me, next season he'll be part of a rebuilt Utd and that's when it'll bite us on the arse. However, Jose's not whoring himself out for the Utd job. I think he tried that at Old Trafford when Madrid put out Utd and failed. That ship has sailed.

They talk about one another's knobs and w**king a lot over on Redcafe don't they? 94 pages of Mata chat, most about peeling one off with excitement. I feel dirty now ...