Manchester United have completed Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic's transfer for a reported fee of £40 million.

“Manchester United is delighted to announce the signing of Nemanja Matic from Chelsea on a three-year contract, with an option to extend for a further year,” a club statement read. 

The transfer was officially confirmed on Monday, but after an image of the 28-year-old Serbian wearing a United training jersey had leaked on Sunday, it was an open secret that Matic would move to Old Trafford sooner rather than later. 

"I am delighted to have joined Manchester United. To work with Jose Mourinho once again was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down,” Matic was quoted as saying by the club website. 

"Nemanja is a Manchester United player and a Jose Mourinho player. He represents everything we want in a footballer; loyalty, consistency, ambition, team player,” United manager Jose Mourinho gushed.

Initially reluctant to sell to a direct rival, Chelsea relented after signing Tiemoue Bakayoko from Monaco earlier in July as the young Frenchman is seen as a like-for-like replacement for Matic. 
The Serbian was signed by Chelsea in 2009 but after struggling to break into the first-team, which was sold to Portuguese side Benfica in a swap deal for defender David Luiz with Chelsea shelling out an extra €25 million. 

In his two-and-a-half seasons with the Eagles, Matic went from strength to strength and was even nominated for the FIFA Puskas Award (Goal of the Year) in 2013. 

In January 2014, Chelsea swooped in for their former player and the Serbian was transformed into a world-class talent with the Blues, firmly establishing himself as the best defensive midfielder in the English top-flight by the end of the 2014-15 season. 

Under then-Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, the club seemed set to rule English football for the next few years but a disastrous season as defending champions saw the Portuguese tactician get the sack mid-way and players like Matic never truly recovered their form.

In his last season at Stamford Bridge, Matic lifted the Premier League title for the second time in three years.

While he was a crucial member of Antonio Conte’s squad, the Serbian was keen to be reunited with his former boss Mourinho and with United ready to meet Chelsea’s asking price, it was only a matter of time before the Red Devils would get their man.