MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) — Manchester United have tabled a club-record bid for Chelsea’s out-of-favour attacking midfielder Juan Mata, according to reports in the British media yesterday.

Several media outlets, including the BBC, claimed that United have used intermediaries to make an offer worth around £35 million (US$58 million, 42.8 million euros), which would exceed the £30.75 million they paid Tottenham Hotspur for Dimitar Berbatov in 2008.

Mata, 25, was voted Chelsea’s player of the year in his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge, but he has fallen down the pecking order following Jose Mourinho’s return to the club as manager last year.

United have not publicly confirmed the bid and Chelsea have not acknowledged it, but Mata is believed to have missed a scheduled training session with the London club yesterday.

United manager David Moyes has also admitted that his club have not ruled out moving for players during the January transfer window.

Writing in the match-day programme ahead of United’s League Cup semi-final second leg at home to Sunderland yesterday, he said: “While we are actively scouting players all the time, a lot of the work we are doing now is preparation for the summer.

“If we can do any business now then we will certainly try to do it, but I will not compromise the standards required for a player who can come into this club and help improve it.”

Moyes is bidding to arrest a startling decline in United’s fortunes since he succeeded Alex Ferguson as manager last year.

The reigning English champions were knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round by Swansea City and are currently 14 points behind leaders Arsenal in the Premier League.

Kenyan athletes threaten to boycott international meets over tax imposition

NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) — Kenyan athletes yesterday vowed to fight a renewed government directive to force them to pay tax from their earnings.

On Tuesday the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) said any income accrued by sportsmen, including athletes and football players, in and outside the country, would be taxable to the government revenue starting this month.

But the athletes, who contribute a significant percentage to the national economy, have threatened to boycott future international competitions if the government goes ahead with its plans.

“The money we receive is not consistent and it would take us up to five years to recover if the government taxes us,” said former Boston marathon champion Wesley Korir after the athletes converged at the Rift Valley town of Eldoret yesterday to discuss the issue.

“KRA does not have a system that determines how much money the athletes have made. They do not even specify how much the athlete won and from which particular race,” added Korir, who is also a lawmaker in the Kenyan parliament.

In October 2012, several leading runners including the world 800m record holder, David Rudisha and two-time world marathon champion, Abel Kirui were slapped with bills running into millions of dollars in back taxes.

Bach again reminds ‘no day to lose’ to ready Rio

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) — IOC President Thomas Bach has wrapped up a two-day trip to Brazil by reminding organisers that there is “no day to lose” in preparing for Rio de Janeiro’s Olympics in 2016.

After meeting Tuesday in Brasilia with President Dilma Rousseff, Bach crisscrossed Rio yesterday to talk with state and local officials, visit venues and give a pep talk to employees of the local organising committee.

Bach singled out a cluster of venues in northern Rio de Janeiro, called Deodoro, and said that hard work was needed to get the remote area ready. Construction has yet to begin for events like shooting, hockey, equestrian, canoeing and BMX.

The cluster is the second largest of the games behind the Olympic Park area, which is west of Rio in Barra da Tijuca.