City in sensational late attempt to sign United target.
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In what could prove to be one of the most controversial transfer sagas of the summer, Manchester City are aiming to sign Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria ahead of their rivals Manchester United with a last-minute bid.
According to the Sunday Times, the Premier League champions have officially approached the Argentine international and asked him to delay a decision on his next club while they look to find buyers for some of their squad players to raise around £50m in funds to go towards this £64m transfer.
The 26-year-old’s future has been in some doubt for much of the summer after Real spent big on signing Colombian World Cup star James Rodriguez from AS Monaco, but a move to Old Trafford has looked most likely after developments in the last few days.
However, City are now ready to offload squad players such as Alvaro Negredo in an attempt to meet Financial Fair Play regulations to sign Di Maria and deal a major transfer blow to their fierce local rivals.
United have already endured a frustrating transfer window after missing out on the likes of Toni Kroos and struggling to sign Arturo Vidal, and City could now land Di Maria ahead of them when a move looked all but complete.
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Angel Di Maria Manchester United