Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Angel Di Maria to leave Manchester United: PSG confident of signing £45m winger before they play United in US next week

United are believed to have accepted a £45m offer to sell the most expensive signing in British history

Jack de Menezes
Saturday 25 July 2015 11:26 BST
Comments

Angel Di Maria is inching closer to ending his Manchester United career sooner than anyone expected as Paris Saint-Germain near a move for the unsettled winger.

Reports emerged on Friday that United have accepted a €65m (£45.9m) offer from the Ligue 1 champions for the 27-year-old, who endured a less-than-impressive debut season in the Premier League. With United currently on a pre-season tour of the United States, Di Maria is due to fly out to meet up with the squad today, but his arrival could be the catalyst to a move away from the club.

PSG are also out on tour across the Atlantic, and with the two clubs set to meet next week in the International Champions Cup, negotiations are ready to take place in a bid to bring Di Maria to the French capital.

According to The Mirror, PSG already expect Di Maria to be their player by the time they leave the US, and he could even line-up against United when they meet next Thursday night.

Having lodged the bid after seeing Di Maria grow unhappy with life at Old Trafford, United could look to reinvest the money generated from selling Di Maria into another big money move. Di Maria was signed last summer in a British record £59.7m deal from Real Madrid after he enjoyed a strong showing at the 2014 World Cup, but the club appear willing to make a £15m loss in order to move him on this summer.

Di Maria made 27 Premier League appearances last term, but netted just three goals and after a promising start, he faded away which resulted in his first-team place going to Ashley Young. Di Maria’s most infamous moment came when he was sent-off in the FA Cup defeat to Arsenal after pushing referee Simon Hooper, and it appears to have been the moment that spelt the end of his time in Manchester.

With United eager to sign a new striker this summer following the departure of Robin van Persie and a wealth of options to fill Di Maria’s position on the left having signed Memphis Depay, Di Maria’s sale could see Van Gaal launch a move for one of the big names that the club have been linked with.

Juventus striker Fernando Llorente has also emerged on the United radar, with reports this week claiming the 30-year-old Spaniard is the “mystery” forward Van Gaal and United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward are looking to sign this summer.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in