Chelsea will ‘complete Nemanja Matic signing on Tuesday’

Chelsea will secure the €25m return of Benfica midfielder Nemanja Matic on Tuesday, according to reports in the Portuguese media.

Newspapers Record, A Bola and O Jogo all agree that the Serbia international is bound for Stamford Bridge and expect the deal to be tied up tomorrow.

Matic, who left the Blues as a makeweight in the David Luiz deal in 2011, is set to fly to London to undergo a medical and finalise the move.

The media reports suggest his starring role in last night’s 2-0 win over rivals Porto will be his final game for Benfica.

The news will come as a blow to Manchester United, who had reportedly hoped to hijack the deal and lure Matic to Old Trafford.

The 25-year-old played just a couple of games for Chelsea during his 18-month long first stint at the club. But he has established himself as one of Europe’s top midfielders during his two years in Portugal and the Blues clearly feel they made a mistake in letting him go.

The transfer fee to bring him back is likely to be around £30m – considerably more than the £3m he was valued at in the Luiz deal.