For Manchester United, the summer transfer window has heated up in a hurry. With the signings of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin and Matteo Darmian, business is booming now. But what about the club’s record signing of last summer, Angel Di Maria? Where does the winger fit in at Old Trafford?
Paris Saint-Germain are still interested.
UEFA have lifted financial fair play restrictions on the Ligue 1 champions, and PSG have a No. 1 target in mind, the Argentine winger. United, who paid a British transfer record £59.7 million for him last August, reportedly have an asking price of €60 million.
Former United defender and current PSG Manager Laurent Blanc told L’Equipe that his team is interested.
“We have our priorities, but to strengthen such a team you must target guys who are at big clubs and who are not easy to prise away. That’s hardest for PSG.”
“Di Maria, he’s good. We have more freedom, but it remains a difficult project for us because we’re not alone in wanting him. When you see the financial power of the English clubs, they are attacking everyone. Competition is very, very tough.”
“Don’t forget, Manchester United paid a fortune to sign him. For us to work effectively, we have to think of other solutions. We must be proactive.”
PSG were very interested in Di Maria last summer, but the UEFA restrictions held their spending in check. The two giant European clubs will face each other in a preseason friendly on July 29th. When the match takes place at Soldier Field, along the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago, it will be interesting to see which side Di Maria is a part of; although he certainly won’t be playing.
Di Maria is still recovering from an injury he suffered while on international duty with Argentina in the Copa America. He could still miss the Premier League season opener.
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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