Arsenal are lining up an audacious transfer swoop for Manchester United‘s Angel Di Maria this summer, according to the Daily Mail.
The Argentine international’s future at Old Trafford remains uncertain after he miserably failed to cope with huge expectations attached to his much-celebrated arrival from Real Madrid for British record fee of £59.7 million.
Instead of allowing Di-Maria to join a direct rival like Arsenal, Louis van Gaal would prefer to begin talks with other clubs interested in signing the Argentine.
Despite the keen interest shown by the Gunners in signing the former Real Madrid star, he is highly unlikely to join South London club as they are not in a position to compete his current payout of £280,000-a-week.
Currently, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez are most expensive players at the Emirates with a weekly remuneration of £140,000 each.
While the former Benfica star made a promising start to life in England, his performances faded away as the season progressed because of various form and fitness issues.
Despite the obvious troubles for Di Maria during the breakout season in England, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger remains a big admirer of the Argentine professional. The Frenchman’s previous two attempts to sign the winger remained unsuccessful, but now he appears determined to capitalize on the uncertainty wrapping around the winger’s future at Old Trafford.
Wenger is ready to push Gunners playmaker Mesut Ozil into a No. 10 role next season, a tactical move which could see Alexis Sanchez play in a more exclusive wide role.
An array of positive performances at the Copa America indicates that the prized forward is slowly returning to his best. His performance was a treat to watch during the semi-final, as he scored twice and provided one assist to help Argentina overcome Paraguay 6-1 in Concepcion.
However, Di Maria picked up a muscular injury in the final which could rule him out for the whole pre-season campaign significantly dampening his preparations ahead of next season.
