According to Spanish publication AS, Manchester United star Juan Mata has rejected an extremely lucrative contract offer to play in Saudi Arabia.
AS report that the 32-year-old wants to say with the Red Devils this season, with Mata confident that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side will win a trophy this season.
AS state that the playmaker’s agent and father, Juan Manuel Mata Sr., relayed to Arabia that they wouldn’t be accepting the first offer worth €16m per year.
Then came an offer worth €20m a year from the Middle East, still Mata insisted that he doesn’t wish to leave, with the ace’s father thanking the Arab leaders for their interest before turning down the move.
Whilst the €20m figure would likely include a signing-on fee, to put this offer into context, Mata has turned down a deal that is essentially worth just shy of €385,000-a-week.
The Manchester outfit signed the Spaniard to a new contract last year, with the deal running until next summer, with the Premier League side retaining the option to extend it by a further 12 months.
United signed the Spaniard from rivals Chelsea in January 2014 for a fee of £37.1m, as per BBC Sport.
Mata is no longer a key player for the Red Devils, but has continued to be a model professional and role model at the club.
The Spain international’s only appearances so far this season have come in United’s two ties in the Carabao Cup, bagging a goal in the first against Luton and then a goal and assist against Brighton.
Mata started 25 of his 37 appearances last season and 21 of his 32 in 18/19, the playmaker has been firmly phased out as Bruno Fernandes starts in the No.10 role and wonderkid Mason Greenwood is starting to make the right-winger spot his own.
The fact that Mata has turned down this offer shows that the ace really doesn’t play the beautiful game for the money – which is how it should be.