Former Chelsea right-back Mario Melchiot has warned Chelsea that they could be making a mistake by selling Nemanja Matic to Manchester United.
The midfielder is believed to be closing in on a £40m switch to Old Trafford amid uncertainty over his position at Stamford Bridge.
The Premier League champions are said to be on the verge of bringing in Tiemoue Bakayoko from AS Monaco, which would pour serious doubt over Matic's game time.
Melchiot, though, believes that the Serbian is still a crucial part of the Chelsea team and he cannot understand why they would sell to a direct rival.
"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," Melchiot told talkSPORT. "There was a good balance in the midfield, sometimes with him or [Cesc] 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 [Antonio 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."
Reports have emerged claiming that Matic is United's third choice.
Danielle Joynson
