Nemanja Matic gave clear indications to his Chelsea teammates on Monday that he will soon be leaving the club, according to the Telegraph.
The newspaper claim that the key first teamer returned to pre-season training but spent the afternoon away from the main group and “running on his own with a trainer”.
The Telegraph report that this was interpreted by the other Chelsea players as a firm “sign” that Matic will soon be leaving Stamford Bridge.
The Serbia international has been strongly linked with a £40million summer transfer to Manchester United but there have been reports that a potential deal is dead in the water after they beat the Premier League champions to the signing of Romelu Lukaku.
Chelsea are closing in on the signing of midfield anchorman Tiemoue Bakayoko from Monaco and he is set to undergo a medical in the coming days even though he could miss the start of the Premier League season because he has been unable to train fully while recovering from knee surgery.
The imminent arrival of the Frenchman, 22, will pave the way for Matic to find a new club and the Telegraph cite sources close to the player as being convinced that he could yet join United despite the Lukaku transfer.
Jose Mourinho has made it clear that he wants to sign a midfield enforcer this summer and is keen to be reunited with the 28-year-old, who he brought back to Chelsea for a second time when he was signed from Benfica for £22million in January 2014.
Matic has been an integral member of two title-winning teams at Chelsea, first when they won under Mourinho in 2015 and then under Antonio Conte last season.
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