Chelsea’s decision to sell Nemanja Matic to Manchester United could “come back and bite them later”, says Mario Melchiot.
The Blues are understood to have sanctioned a £40 million sale to their Premier League rivals.
Antonio Conte is prepared to let Matic leave as he is closing in on a £35 million deal for Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko, as revealed by Goal on Monday.
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Losing Matic, though, will see the Blues parting with a two-time Premier League title winner and a man who could end up haunting them when on the books at Old Trafford.
Former Chelsea defender Melchiot talkSPORT on the proposed transfer: "He was very crucial in some games Chelsea played last season and I think he did extremely well, even if he wasn’t starting every game.
"There was a good balance in the midfield, sometimes with him or [Ces] Fabregas next to [N’Golo] Kante.
"You don’t want to make your rivals stronger, especially in the midfield where Jose Mourinho is always focused on having a strong midfield.
"If he [Conte] makes the choice to let him go to Man United, he better have good backing because, if not, it might come back and bite you later."
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Matic was brought back to Chelsea for a second spell by Mourinho in January 2014.
He helped the club to Premier League title success the following season, and again in 2016-17.
In total he has made 151 appearances for the club since returning to Stamford Bridge, with seven goals netted in that time.