Manchester United are understood to be in advanced talks with Real Madrid over the £48 million (Dh292m) signing of winger Angel Di Maria.
Di Maria’s agent Jorge Mendes is due to fly from Singapore to London today to finalise the details of a contract that will reportedly pay the Argentine international £150,000 a week (Dh900,000), a significant increase on his £60,000-a-week (Dh365,000) contract at Madrid.
Di Maria, who will be given the No7 shirt at United, has been deemed surplus to requirements at the Bernabeu by president Florentino Perez as he looks to raise funds to sign striker Radamel Falcao from Monaco.
Despite his role as one of Madrid’s key players in the second half of last season, Di Maria has been shunted down the pecking order by the summer arrivals of Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez.
The 26-year-old was left out of the squad for Friday’s 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup and has resigned himself to the fact his future lies away from the Spanish capital.
On Thursday Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti confirmed Di Maria had turned down the offer of a new contract at the Bernabeu.
“Di Maria asked to go,” he said. “The player has to look for a solution. He’s a Real Madrid player and until 31 August, as I’ve already said, anything can happen.”
United are also believed to be pursuing Ajax’s Daley Blind and another midfielder as Louis van Gaal tries to strengthen a squad that looks ill-equipped to challenge for a top-four place.
Defence is also where United looked most vulnerable last week against Swansea and leading out Sunderland today at the Stadium of Light will be John O’Shea, who spent a dozen years at United, earning nearly 400 appearances and a shelf of medals without ever nailing down a regular first-team spot.
O’Shea has become used to managerial change at Sunderland – Gus Poyet is his fourth in as many years – but the experience is new to his old club with Van Gaal following David Moyes’ brief tenure.
“It’s going to be an interesting season, everyone is waiting to see how they’re doing,” O’Shea said. “They’ve lost a lot of experience but have got a very experienced manager who has been successful wherever he’s been.
“He looks a great character. Expectation levels are always sky high and that won’t change. They always expect to be challenging for every trophy they get involved in and that won’t change.”
