What’s the story?
Barcelona have opened talks with Angel Di Maria regarding a move to Camp Nou in the summer according to Le 10 Sport. The club have reportedly began talks after Lionel Messi advised them to sign the Argentine.
The former Real Madrid star has been in impressive form for Paris Saint-Germain ever since he joined the club and the Catalan side want him to join them. Blaugrana are on the hunt for a new manager still but feel that the Argentine would be a great addition to the current squad. The board members were reportedly impressed by his impact on the epic Barcelona-PSG tie in the Champions League this season.
In case you didn’t know...
Di Maria was a star at Real Madrid for four years. He joined the Bernabeu side from Benfica in 2010 for a reported fee of €33 million. He was the first signing Jose Mourinho made during his spell at Los Blancos.
He won the La Liga and the Champions League during his 4-year stay at Bernabeu and was a fan favourite. He eventually left the club after winning La Decima and joined Manchester United for £59 million.
He turned out to be the club's then record signing, and the pressure of living up to the hefty fee, played a huge role in his flopping at the club. Louis van Gaal played him in different positions in every other match, and this made it even harder for the Argentine to settle at the club.
He went on to join Paris Saint-Germain a year later and has been in fine form ever since. He played against Barcelona in the Last 16 of the Champions League this season and was influential in the French club's 4-0 win over the Catalan giants.
The heart of the matter
Le10 Sport also claim that the Di Maria wants to leave the French champions at the end of the season. He is not happy with the role he has under Unai Emery and dreams of linking up with Lionel Messi at Camp Nou.
Reports last month suggested that Messi himself asked the board to sign his Argentine teammate from PSG. Now with the club interested as well, the move might be on the cards.
What’s next?
Barcelona would want to appoint a manager first before going into transfer business. The club would be in a spot of bother if they sign the player and then the new manager decides that he does not want the Argentine at the club.
Author’s Take
Di Maria would be a great addition to the squad but where exactly would he play? He wants to leave PSG because he gets benched or substituted and if he decides to join Barcelona, one really can't see him starting over Suarez or Neymar.
