Things are changing quickly at Real Madrid, and while they still don’t have a manager, changes in their squad are being made, and it’s not only about adding players. Paris Saint-Germain are very interested in more big-time players, and it seems they have their sights set on Angel Di Maria.
According to AS, this isn’t only because PSG want Di Maria. Real Madrid are interested in manager Carlo Ancelotti, which the French champions aren’t really interested in releasing. Angel Di Maria has attracted the interested of Premier League clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea, while Monaco, on their way to becoming a mini-empire at this rate, have also shown some interest.
But if Real Madrid can come to some agreement with PSG regarding an exchange with Di Maria and Ancelotti involved, they’ll send the Argentinian winger for the Italian coach, and a fee of close to €25 million.
Di Maria didn’t have the best of seasons with Real Madrid, his third with the club since joining in 2010 from Benfica for €36 million. He has scored a career best 7 league goals this season, not to mention 16 assists in all competitions, but there was too much up & down in his form, especially when it came to tough away matches and the Champions League.
He also had an ongoing feud of sorts with Jose Mourinho, who wasn’t very pleased with the kind of effort he though Di Maria was holding out on him and the team, although when it’s Mourinho, it’s usually about him. At 25 years of age, Di Maria, who can play along both flanks and behind the striker if necessary, has also been capped 37 times for the national team, scoring 8 goals.
On his good days, he’s probably one of the best at his position in the world, with the ability to both dribble past opponents while showing a tendency to score spectacular goals and deliver accurate crossing and long passes. He’s been essential for Real Madrid over the last three years, especially during their title run last season. At the beginning of what might be some sort of new era, he might be the first victim of the coming changes.