The 25-year-old, who has been left out of the Chelsea team at the start of the season, had also been linked with a move to Liverpool.
However, according to reports in Spain, the strongest interest came from his former club Valencia, who he left to join the Blues in 2011.
Mata scored 20 goals in 64 appearances for Chelsea last season.
Restore Data
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | Liverpool | 20 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 48 | 20 | 28 | 47 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 21 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 41 | 19 | 22 | 43 |
| 3 | Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest | 21 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 30 | 20 | 10 | 41 |
| 4 | Newcastle UnitedNewcastle | 21 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 37 | 22 | 15 | 38 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 21 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 41 | 26 | 15 | 37 |
| 6 | Manchester CityMan City | 21 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 38 | 29 | 9 | 35 |
| 7 | Aston Villa | 21 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 31 | 32 | -1 | 35 |
| 8 | Bournemouth | 21 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 32 | 25 | 7 | 34 |
| 9 | Fulham | 21 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 32 | 30 | 2 | 30 |
| 10 | Brentford | 21 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 40 | 37 | 3 | 28 |
| 11 | Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton | 20 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 30 | 29 | 1 | 28 |
| 12 | West Ham UnitedWest Ham | 21 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 27 | 41 | -14 | 26 |
| 13 | Tottenham HotspurSpurs | 21 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 43 | 32 | 11 | 24 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 21 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 23 | 28 | -5 | 24 |
| 15 | Manchester UnitedMan Utd | 20 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 23 | 28 | -5 | 23 |
| 16 | Everton | 20 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 26 | -11 | 17 |
| 17 | Ipswich TownIpswich | 20 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 20 | 35 | -15 | 16 |
| 18 | Wolverhampton WanderersWolves | 21 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 31 | 48 | -17 | 16 |
| 19 | Leicester CityLeicester | 21 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 23 | 46 | -23 | 14 |
| 20 | Southampton | 20 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 12 | 44 | -32 | 6 |
| > Premier League Full Table | |||||||||
