Manchester United have been given a possible opening at signing one of their high-profile targets with Paris Saint-Germain fretting over possible implications concerning Financial Fair Play regulations (FFP) if they go ahead with the Angel Di Maria transfer from Real Madrid as planned.
United were thought to be one of the leading contenders for Di Maria's signature, with some reports, at one point, even suggesting personal terms had been agreed with the player.
However, the likelihood of Di Maria moving to Old Trafford decreased when it became clear PSG were also interested in signing the Argentina international.
Real Madrid are looking to sell Di Maria to gather funds and make room for James Rodriguez, who is expected to become a Real player sometime this week.
A fee of £40 million has been reportedly agreed between Real and PSG for the sale of Di Maria, but having spent nearly £50 million already to sign David Luiz from Chelsea, the French champions are worried about forking out too much during this summer transfer window and with it face the wrath of UEFA for breaching FFP rules yet again.
As a result, PSG have considered making a loan move for Di Maria, to skirt the FFP implications, with the move to Paris being made permanent next summer, according to the Daily Express.
While that might seem like a smart move from PSG's perspective, it remains to be seen how Di Maria views it, if, as expected, the midfielder leaves Real for Ligue 1. In a loan move, Di Maria will not be able to expect an official pay rise, as PSG will be paying him wages of his current Real contract – the French club, of course, will find a way to make up for that loss by offering the player a lucrative contract from next summer.
That is where Manchester United might be able to come in and hijack the deal by offering the 26-year-old a better personal offer from this season.
If Louis Van Gaal and Ed Woodward can convince Di Maria about missing the Champions League for one season, and agree on a move to Old Trafford, it will be one giant step towards pulling themselves out of the mire they find themselves in after last season's seventh-place finish.
Di Maria brings with him undoubted quality and ability to create that bit of magic in the big moments -- something that any team could make use of. Woodward himself admitted United have sufficient funds to spend big in this transfer market, so the £40 million figure being reportedly quoted by Real should not be a problem.
The only issue will be about convincing Di Maria to switch to Manchester United this season, despite there being no European football, as PSG will undoubtedly do their utmost to sign the seriously underrated midfielder.
