Manchester United are ready to hand Juan Mata a three-year deal to get him to commit to the club as they face losing him on a free transfer this summer.

Juan Mata has been heavily linked with a free transfer to Arsenal this summer and he is able to start negotiations with foreign clubs when the January transfer window opens.

Arsenal have been long-time admirers of the now-30-year-old, coming close to signing him in 2011 before he joined Chelsea instead. Since then, Mata has moved on but Arsenal, it appears, have not.

According to a report in the Star on Sunday, United will offer Mata a three-year deal in the hopes of keeping him at the club until 2022 or, at the very least, protecting the resale value of their asset.

Arsenal have a limited budget for transfers and we are likely to see them scouring the market for young and free talent. Mata would fall in the latter category but his wages may well prove a problem.

Arsenal reportedly want to lower their wage bill yet Mata currently earns £140k-per-week at United. Signing on a free, he would expect a massive signing-on bonus either in a lump sum or spread across the duration of his contract in his wages.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UM5iNa4SQM

In other Manchester United news that should have a big impact on the league, the Mail on Sunday report that David de Gea is set to join PSG in the summer in a move that will make him the highest-paid goalkeeper on the planet, earning around £300kpw.

There is a reasonable argument to be made that United have only managed to finish as high as they have in the league recently because of the Spaniard.

To lose him would be a massive blow.