Paris-Saint Germain will not offer attacker Angel Di Maria a new contract, paving the way for the South American to leave the club for free once his deal expires at the end of the season.
That’s according to a recent report from L’Equipe (as relayed by AS), who claims the Ligue 1 giants are expecting to see the Argentine wide-attacker depart later in the year.
Since joining the club from Manchester United back in 2015 in a deal worth a whopping £56.7m, Di Maria has gone on to play a major role in the side’s successes.
Time appears to be against the winger though and now at the age of 34, Di Maria has seen his playing time heavily reduced as current boss Mauricio Pochettino continues to favour the likes of Neymar Jnr.
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The Parisians were recently dumped out of the Champions League at the first hurdle in the competition’s knockout stage.
Following a 3-2 (aggregate) defeat against Real Madrid, Paris-Saint Germain now finds their hopes pinned entirely on lifting the Ligue 1 title and although that would be welcomed, it is clear the club’s ambitions remain firmly on lifting what would be their first-ever Champions League title.
Di Maria played virtually no part in his side’s exit though – left on the bench until the game’s 81st-minute, the South American was resigned to watching his teammate’s efforts result in ultimate failure.
Discussing the challenges his manager faces, Di Maria, who spoke to ESPN (via Marca) last year, said: “It is not easy for Pochettino; they only play 11, and he has to build with that; it is not easy to keep them all happy, it is what he tries, to do the best for the team, and then you have to demonstrate on the field.”
Despite publicly defending his boss’ tactician choices, Di Maria is clearly out of favour and now the 34-year-old’s seven years with the club looks certain to be coming to an end.
One side heavily linked with an audacious summer move is Portuguese side Benfica – the club Di Maria spent three years with before joining Real Madrid in 2010.