Manchester United Winger Angel Di Maria has been the subject of many transfer rumors this summer. There was talk that Champions League winners Barcelona considered an initial offer for him, and that even Lionel Messi joined in on the recruitment. Supposedly, there was interest from Bayern Munich as well.
However, if does go anywhere, it most likely be Paris St. Germain. Even PSG Manager Laurent Blanc admitted that Manchester United’s record signing is their primary target this summer. However, there hasn’t been confirmation that United are looking to sell as of yet.
United Manager Louis van Gaal fielded a question on Angel Di Maria’s future at a news conference today in Seattle, Washington. United will take Mexican powerhouse Club America Friday night as they begin their preseason tour.
“We shall see,” Van Gaal said.
“In football, it is a process. It’s a process for Di Maria and Man Utd. We shall see.”
“But he is still a member of United and he said he will come out on July 25.”
Yes, Angel Di Maria and Marcos Rojo will all be joining the Red Devils’ U.S. tour on July 25. Rojo and Di Maria are currently on extended holiday due to the deep run Argentina made in the Copa America. Perhaps Van Gaal wants to use the pre-season tour of the USA to turn Di Maria back into a star-spangled winger?
You can understand why Van Gaal was was so murky on the future of Di Maria. He has to be. First off, he probably doesn’t really know at this point what’s actually going to happen. Secondly, it does him, or the team, any good to be open about the negotiations through the media. All that can do, from his standpoint, is drive up the price. The tabloids are saying that PSG have made a really big offer for Di Maria, but that it’s still not as much as United would hope to get.
Then of course, there’s the idea that any Angel Di Maria deal would inevitably involve Paris striker Edinson Cavani. And that would of course make things even more complicated.
But you should definitely watch the Van Gaal presser below. It’s very amusing to watch the Dutchman banter and take batting practice on a few of the reporters.
It’s towards the end:
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous sports talk radio stations all across the country.
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