Antonio Conte ready to approve £20m sale of Nemanja Matic

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is ready to sanction the sale of Nemanja Matic this summer.

The player had a season to forget last year and it seems that the Serbian midfielder could leave the London club once again.

Matic, once a youth prospect at Chelsea, rejoined the club under Jose Mourinho for 21 million pounds from Benfica. The defensive midfielder was a major hit in his first season and helped the club to a Premier League title.

Despite a poor season, selling Matic now makes very little sense. When on form, he is still the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League.

If Chelsea decide to move him on, it will be interesting to see who they replace him with. The Leicester City midfielder N’golo Kante has been linked with the Blues after a stellar season with the Foxes.

According to latest reports, Antonio Conte has already given the green light for the sale of the midfielder. However, Juventus are looking to sign him on loan with an option to buy.

The Premier League outfit want a straight sale and will not allow the player to leave on loan for one season.

It will be interesting to see if Juventus decide to pay the 20 million pounds asking price for the Serbian now. One thing is certain, a player of Matic’s ability will have no shortage of suitors.

Earlier this summer, there were reports that Matic is also unhappy at Chelsea and wants a move to Old Trafford. In that case, perhaps Conte has made the right decision.

Now that Juventus are pursuing him, Mourinho might have to act quickly if he wants to sign his former player.