Nemanja Matic is the 24-year old Serbian international currently playing at Portugese club Benfica, and a string of solid performances last season have seen his stock rise exponentially along with attracting a number of interested parties.

Two such clubs showing an interest in his services are English and Spanish giants Chelsea and Real Madrid, whose new managers Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti are both looking to snap up the defensive midfielder in the coming weeks.

Matic was himself a Chelsea player till 2011, after which he was sold off to Benfica as a part of a deal which saw David Luiz come to Stamford Bridge and Matic going the other way. The deal was approved and given the green light by Ancelotti, who ironically was the Chelsea manager then. He now wants to coach him again, but this time at the Santiago Bernabeu.

However, standing in his way is Mourinho, who was the former Real Madrid boss and Ancelotti’s predecessor. He sees Matic as one of the missing pieces in his Chelsea puzzle and is keen to sign him up, particularly since the future of John Obi Mikel is still undecided. Metro claims that Mourinho is keen to have him in his ranks, and is looking to bring Matic back to Chelsea.

Chelsea are hoping to beat Real Madrid due to their cordial and warm relationship with Benfica, which has been established in recent years after they have sold David Luiz and Ramires to the Blues in the last few years. They are now banking on this relationship to help engineer this deal.

Even if Chelsea are given a personal preference, the negotiations are bound to reach an impasse as Benfica are determined to sell him only if his release clause is triggered, which stands at a staggering £42 million. It is certain that neither Chelsea nor Real Madrid will be willing to shell out that huge sum for him.

We have a potentially interesting story on our hands now, and we will keep you updated regarding any movements from any parties, if any.