Angel Di Maria is all set for his medical for Paris-Saint Germain in the next 24 hours, bringing an end to the endless speculation surrounding the player all this transfer season for a sum of £46m, according to BBC. The Argentine winger moved from Spanish giants Real Madrid to Old Trafford for a record fee of £59.7m making him the most expensive player in the Premier League history, but has failed to do justice to his whopping price tag and enormous reputation since.
A string of injuries, a gradual slump in form and a moment of outrage against Arsenal in FA Cup Semi-Final which landed him a red-card all added up to him being an outcast in Louis Van Gaal’s starting XI. His only moment of brilliance was against Leicester City back in September where he scored a fabulous chipped goal.
The player was earlier fined £360,000 for not showing up in the club’s pre-season tour to the United States. The former Real Madrid star was set to join the Red Devils’ squad in Seattle 25 July but he missed the flight to the US which was confirmed by Louis Van Gaal.
In addition to his on-field misery, his house in Prestbury, Manchester was burgled in March making his move out of Manchester all the more probable. Paris Saint-Germain seems the most likely destination for the talented winger to which he has been linked all summer, especially after the Paris-based club’s financial strength received a boost after the FFP restrictions on the club were lifted last month.
Will be a pleasure to play with Di Maria again: David Luiz
David Luiz, who himself moved from Premier League club Chelsea to PSG last year was happy to hear that Di Maria could move to PSG. Both Luiz and Di Maria were teammates at Benfica before going their separate ways.
"He is a great friend, a great player. Every single team he plays in, he makes the difference, helping on the defensive side also. He knows how to assist, to score goals," Luiz was quoted as saying by BBC.
"I played with him in Benfica. It's great to see how much he has improved, how he has become a fantastic player. It would be a pleasure to play with him again."
Pedro may replace Di Maria at United
According to The Independent, Pedro’s mother has indicated that the Barcelona winger is ‘leaving for England’. With Messi, Suarez and Neymar dominating the Catalan’s club’s forward line, Pedro has not had a lot of playing time and a move to Man United may be imminent where he can possibly get more time on the pitch.
Nicolas Gaitan is another name doing the rounds to fill the void left by his compatriot Di Maria at Old Trafford, according to Metro.