| Juan Mata |
Roman Abramovich made the offer - £18m up front and £4m to follow - on Wednesday after Andre Villas-Boas identified the 23-year-old, also a target for Tottenham and Arsenal, as the man he wants out wide to help bridge the gap on champions Manchester United.
Valencia are determined not to let Mata go so close to the start of the season in Spain - this weekend's start has been delayed due to a player strike - but the player is desperate to leave for Stamford Bridge.
Such is Chelsea’s desire to sign Mata, who was the star of this summer’s Under 21 European Championship, that Abramovich is considering flying to meet Valencia president Manuel Llorente to push through the deal.
An extra £4m should be enough to force Valencia’s hand, which would be a huge bonus considering there was a buy-out clause of £22m which expired at the end of July.
Mata has been keen on a move to Chelsea all summer and has been promised a pivotal role, a pay rise and Yossi Benayoun’s No 10 shirt by the London club.
That should be enough to see off the persistent interest from Arsenal and Tottenham.
Mata scored nine and set up 15 goals for Valencia last season, coming on the back of being part of Spain’s World Cup-winning squad.
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