Manchester United Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Juan Mata and Dries Mertens

Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata is reportedly wanted by former club Valencia, while Atletico Madrid are said to be set to rival the Red Devils for Napoli's Dries Mertens.

Mata is out of contact in the summer, and there does not seem to be much appetite to renew his deal, per Deporte Valenciano (h/t Lucas Sposito of Sport Witness).

The prospect of Mata's being potentially available as a free agent could alert Valencia, who have been keen to bring him back but may struggle to afford his salary.

Mata has made eight Premier League appearances for Manchester United this season but has yet to record an assist and has just one goal, per WhoScored.com.

However, the Spaniard has not featured in the league since the 2-1 defeat to Huddersfield Town, missing the games against Swansea City, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.

Football writer Liam Canning feels Mata has the creativity needed to play against the top sides, particularly with Henrikh Mkhitaryan out of form:

According to James Ducker at the Daily Telegraph, United plan to trigger a clause in Mata's contract that will extend his deal for another season.

Mata appears to still be a key part of manager Jose Mourinho's plans despite having typically featured in a right-wing role for United.

The Red Devils will surely look to, at the very least, extend his contract for a further season, which could put him out of Valencia's financial reach.

Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid will look to land Mertens in the summer should Antoine Griezmann and Yannick Carrasco depart the club, per AS (h/t Nima Tavallaey Roodsari at Calciomercato.com).

However, United, Barcelona and Bayern Munich "are monitoring the situation closely and are expected to have their say before all is said and done."

Mertens has been in sensational form for Napoli this season and has 10 goals and two assists for Maurizio Sarri's side, per WhoScored.com.

Napoli top the table in Serie A, and Opta shows Mertens' contribution to the side:

Mertens has said recently he could be tempted by a move to the Premier League, per Sky Sports (h/t Aaron Stokes at the Daily Star).

Pierpaolo Marino, a former Napoli director, has previously told Tuttosport United are following Mertens closely (h/t Metro).

Should the Belgian continue his prolific form for Napoli, it looks as though he will have no shortage of suitors next summer.