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Manchester United’s anxious 48-hour wait to wrap up the club record signing of Juan Mata is finally over tonight after the £37m deal was concluded, clearing the way for the Spaniard to have a medical with the club on Saturday.
United had been unable to receive Mata in Manchester until the transfer agreement was concluded, following a complex move which has involved intermediaries from both sides. United announced the deal at 9pm, saying that the deal “is subject to a medical and the agreement of personal terms.” Both of those issues are considered a formality.
United waited until immediately after the closure of the closure of the New York Stock Exchange before announcing the move. The 25-year-old will be introduced to supporters before Tuesday's home game with Cardiff but is unlikely to feature until United face Stoke next Saturday, as he has not played for Chelsea since New Year's Day.
Show all 12 1 /12Manchester United's most expensive signings... were they worth it? Manchester United's most expensive signings... were they worth it? Juan Mata - £37m - January 2013 Spain midfielder Juan Mata arrives from Chelsea as a proven dynamo in midfield. During his two full seasons at Chelsea, he was voted their player of the season.
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Manchester United's most expensive signings... were they worth it? Dimitar Berbatov - £30.75m - September 2008 Manchester United spent the summer of 2008 pursuing Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov, but it was just a dramatic few minutes before the close of the transfer window that they got their man. And the Bulgarian didn't come cheap at £30.75m - United's most expensive ever signing (until Mata).
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Manchester United's most expensive signings... were they worth it? Rio Ferdinand - £29.3m - July 2002 When United paid Leeds United £29.3m back in 2002, it appeared a crazy amount of money to spend on a defender. Yet Rio Ferdinand has been a linchpin of the squad in the intervening decade (excluding the eight months he was banned for missing a drugs test) and was worth every penny.
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Manchester United's most expensive signings... were they worth it? Juan Sebastián Verón - £28.1m - July 2001 The arrival of Juan Sebastián Verón from Lazio was one of the most glamourous signings in the history of the Premier League - yet sadly for United it was only that, with little substance to the £28.1m man.
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Manchester United's most expensive signings... were they worth it? Wayne Rooney - £27m - August 2004 After bursting onto the scene at Goodison Park, and then appearing as though he could carry England to the Euro 2004 title before injury struck, it was obvious Everton would not be able to hold on to their boy wonder.
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Manchester United's most expensive signings... were they worth it? Robin van Persie - £24m - August 2012 Robin van Persie, Ferguson's final big-name signing, scored 30 goals in his first season at the club as United reclaimed the title from Manchester City with ease.
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Manchester United's most expensive signings... were they worth it? Anderson - £20.4m - July 2007 Still only 25-years-old, there remains perhaps a little more time for Anderson to justify why United paid Porto in excess of £20m for the midfielder's services.
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Manchester United's most expensive signings... were they worth it? Ruud van Nistelrooy - £19m - June 2001 Alex Ferguson pursued Ruud van Nistelrooy for years, and it was only injuries that stopped the Dutch striker transferring from PSV Eindhoven to United earlier. He would be worth the wait.
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Manchester United's most expensive signings... were they worth it? David de Gea - £18.9m - June 2011 United needed to replace the retiring Edwin van der Sar with a top-class stopper, yet while David de Gea clearly had ability, Ferguson's decision to put his faith in a 20-year-old with relatively little experience surprised many.
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Manchester United's most expensive signings... were they worth it? Michael Carrick - £18.6m - July 2006 Another player Tottenham reluctantly sold to United, Michael Carrick has been a consistent force in Ferguson's midfield since joining in 2006.
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Manchester United's most expensive signings... were they worth it? Nani - £17.3m - July 2007 Unfairly compared to his countryman Cristiano Ronaldo after arriving from Sporting Lisbon in 2007, Nani had a slow start to his Old Trafford career.
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Manchester United's most expensive signings... were they worth it? Owen Hargreaves - £17m - July 2007 Consistent displays at the heart of Bayern Munich's midfield, and then impressive performances in an England shirt under Sven Goran-Eriksson brought Owen Hargreaves to the attention of the British public, and Alex Ferguson, and in the summer of 2007 he joined Manchester United in a £17m deal.
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