The champions have been linked with a move for the out-of-of-favour Spaniard, with the fee reported to be a club-record £37m.
United have moved to deny the reports, but the Red Devils could have Mata in their squad before Monday, according to the Daily Mail.
Spanish football expert Guillem Balague also claimed that a deal looks likely.
Restore Data
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | Liverpool | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 8 | 16 | 31 |
| 2 | Manchester CityMan City | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 23 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 22 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 12 | 9 | 22 |
| 5 | Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 16 | 5 | 22 |
| 6 | Tottenham HotspurSpurs | 12 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 27 | 13 | 14 | 19 |
| 7 | Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 19 |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 19 |
| 9 | Fulham | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 18 |
| 10 | Newcastle UnitedNewcastle | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 18 |
| 11 | Brentford | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 17 |
| 12 | Manchester UnitedMan Utd | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 16 |
| 13 | Bournemouth | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 17 | -1 | 15 |
| 14 | West Ham UnitedWest Ham | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 19 | -4 | 15 |
| 15 | Everton | 12 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 17 | -7 | 11 |
| 16 | Leicester CityLeicester | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 15 | 23 | -8 | 10 |
| 17 | Wolverhampton WanderersWolves | 12 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 28 | -8 | 9 |
| 18 | Ipswich TownIpswich | 12 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 23 | -10 | 9 |
| 19 | Crystal Palace | 12 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 17 | -7 | 8 |
| 20 | Southampton | 12 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 9 | 24 | -15 | 4 |
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