Napoli
Mata certainly enjoyed his football at Chelsea under the management of interim boss Rafael Benitez last season, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the two were keen to link up again at Benitez’s new club Napoli. Like Atletico Madrid, Napoli are a club very much on the up at the moment, even with the summer departure of Edinson Cavani to PSG, which has seen the club invest wisely in some exciting new players such as Gonzalo Higuain and Jose Callejon. Along with Pepe Reina, who is on loan at the club for the season from Liverpool, there is clearly a strong Spanish-speaking contingent growing at the Naples club, and Mata would find it easy to fit in and continue to help the club rise up Serie A.
Napoli have made a great start to the season under Benitez, and will hope to keep attracting top players, with Mata certainly an opportunity they won’t want to pass down. Although he would be unlikely to break the Barca-Real dominance in La Liga, Mata might have a genuine chance of winning the title in Italy, with Napoli looking good contenders to compete with Juventus this year.
An appealing move all-round, and another that looks highly possible for a variety of reasons.
7/10