We know, we know. And normally we wouldn’t pay too much attention, but with Paris St. Germain currently on their own pre-season in the States – and of course, due to face United – we’re putting two and two together.
Twitter user ‘Goldenballs_7’ (sorry friend, we don’t know your real name!) apparently met former United player and current PSG manager Laurent Blanc in the US today where he asked him if Angel Di Maria was signing for the French club.
Also lads Di Maria is off. Blanc pretty much confirmed it. pic.twitter.com/DoA633xLc2
— Pad (@Goldenballs_7) July 19, 2015
@_AnthonyWilson was just chatting to Blanc, Di Maria is gone.
— Pad (@Goldenballs_7) July 19, 2015
… so, there you have it.
Rumours have intensified in recent days that the Argentine international, who is United’s record signing, has already agreed terms on a move to Ligue 1.
Of course, Blanc may have been mischievous, or something may have been lost in translation.
Ian Ladyman confirmed in the Daily Mail that Di Maria would have to hand in a transfer request if he wanted to leave.
Angel di Maria will have to formally ask Manchester United for a transfer if he wants to leave Old Trafford.
With his wife unhappy in Manchester and Paris Saint-Germain keen to sign the Premier League’s record signing — he cost £59.7million — it seems as though the winger’s career at United could come to an end after just one season.
But despite signing one wide player in Memphis Depay and exploring the possibility of another in Barcelona’s Pedro, United manager Louis van Gaal still sees Di Maria as an integral part of his first-team squad.
United are not encouraging interest from PSG or anybody else and the message from club insiders here in America’s north-west this week has been very much that Di Maria is not for sale.
It seems that if Di Maria wants to get out of England badly enough then he will have to force the issue.Submitting a transfer request is always the modern player’s last resort simply because it waives any right to a financial pay off. But United have stressed this week that they are not in the habit of selling world-class players after only 12 months.
While there is an understanding inside Old Trafford that Di Maria has suffered some personal issues during his time at the club — his house was broken into while he and his family were at home — there is also a belief that they are not so severe they cannot be solved.Van Gaal believes that if Di Maria can show some consistent form on the pitch and stay injury-free then things away from the field may fall in to place.
That, however, remains to be seen. For example, Manchester City considered a bid for Di Maria during their stand-off with Liverpool over Raheem Sterling, only to be told by those close to him that there was no point trying given his wife’s desire to get out of the north-west.
Di Maria is not in America with United because he has been given extra time off in the wake of his participation in the Copa America with Argentina. He is due to arrive here on July 25 in time for United’s final tour game in Chicago.
While Van Gaal seems keen to give the player every chance to think about his decision, it seems – at least, seemingly according to Laurent Blanc – that the deal is done.