Can Manchester United still close this £40m deal?

Now that Holland’s World Cup excursion is over, it’s time for Louis Van Gaal to train his focus on his next big priority: Manchester United.

The Red Devils have already brought in a couple of good options this summer (Athletic Bilbao’s Ander Herrera and Southampton’s Luke Shaw), but there’s plenty of work still to be done.

Let’s not sugar-coat it: Manchester United were abysmal last season. For a club with remarkably high standards, David Moyes’ boys were always going to disappoint on some level. Still, I’m not sure anybody expected that things would be quite so bad.

It’s up to Van Gaal and the rest of the United hierarchy to put these wrongs right. Let’s hope he’s up to the task.

Unfortunately, The Mirror recently published an article that contained some bad news for Manchester United fans.

The source suggests that whilst Real Madrid are ready and willing to sell their star winger, Angel Di Maria, the player himself isn’t prepared to move to Manchester United.

Di Maria’s currently in a contract ‘stalemate’ with Madrid and it looks as though his future may lie elsewhere. If somebody offers £40m, Carlo Ancelotti is willing to let the little Argentine ace move on.

Whilst United have the cash to make this deal happen, the player is thought to be keen on Champions League action. This is something that The Red Devils won’t be able to provide – not this season at least.

Interestingly enough, Manchester United’s main competition for his signature are thought to be Paris Saint Germain and Juventus. Whilst these are good clubs, they don’t have the history, or the reputation of Manchester United. I’d also argue that their managers aren’t as well regarded as Louis Van Gaal.

It’s up to The Red Devils to try and ‘sell the dream’. Whilst they took a major knock last season, they’re not down and out. They still have plenty to offer players like Angel Di Maria.

They may not be able to offer him Champions League action this season, but they can offer him a bumper pay-package and a chance to operate outside of Cristiano Ronaldo’s shadow.

Let’s hope that Manchester United don’t give up just yet. They could still win this particular transfer battle.

What’s your take? Could The Red Devils really close a deal for Angel Di Maria?

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