Jose Mourinho has deflected questions over Juan Mata’s future, and refused to rule out the possibility of a swap deal with Manchester United involving Wayne Rooney, Metro reports,

Mata’s future has been the subject of much speculation over the summer, and although Mourinho previously rubbished suggestion of his sale, Willian’s arrival at Stamford Bridge has further clouded the Spaniard’s role with the Blues.

The former Valencia man was mooted as a surprise makeweight in Chelsea’s first bid for Rooney, but the club insisted the offer was a straight cash deal.

When asked about what would happen if United wanted Mata in exchange for Rooney, Mourinho responded: ‘That’s hypothetical, because they didn’t ask.

‘The two answers we got from Man United is “we don’t accept the bid”, “we’re not interested in selling the player”.