Angel Di Maria is closing in on a move away from Manchester United, with a deal to take the Argentina midfielder to Paris Saint-Germain potentially being completed on Monday.
Media reports suggest talks took place between Di Maria and officials from the Ligue 1 champions in Doha on Sunday as the 27-year-old Argentine looks to bring to an end a disappointing stint at Old Trafford.
United gave Di Maria permission to speak to PSG after agreeing a fee of €63 million (Dh253.7m) with the big-spending French club.
The Premier League club signed Di Maria from Real Madrid for £59.7 million (Dh341.8m) last summer, but, after an encouraging start, his form dipped drastically and he only started one of the final 10 games of last term.
The winger, who won the Uefa Champions League and the Primera Liga title during his time in the Spanish capital, was left unsettled after an attempted burglary on his Cheshire home in February. Since then, the player and his family have been living in a city-centre apartment in Manchester.
His future took another turn when United manager Louis van Gaal revealed he did not know of Di Maria’s whereabouts when he failed to join up with the squad on their preseason tour of the United States.
“I don’t know where he is,” the Dutchman said. “You can ask that every week, but I don’t answer that question.”
PSG beat United 2-0 before Van Gaal’s side returned home to prepare for their Premier League opener against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
Former United defender Laurent Blanc is in charge at the Parc de Princes and said he believed PSG were closing in on a deal.
“Manchester United and PSG are two big clubs and negotiations can be difficult, but we are close to the end,” he said after their win over United.
Even before the expected acquistion of Di Maria, PSG continued their dominance of French football by beating Lyon 2-0 in Saturday’s Champions Trophy.
Serge Aurier opened the scoring before Edinson Cavani, a player linked with a move to Old Trafford, added the second.
It is anticipated that Van Gaal will move quickly to sign a replacement for Di Maria. He has hinted at his interested in Barcelona forward Pedro, who was frustrated by his lack of game time at the Camp Nou last term.
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