Manchester United are reportedly looking to table £25m for Real Madrid winger Angel di Maria, who has alerted a host of clubs by stating he could make a move away from the Bernabeu this summer.
Though newly appointed manager Louis van Gaal is yet to take up the reins at Old Trafford, United are pushing on with their transfer plans, to ensure they get some new talent this summer.
According to the Metro, senior officials at United have already drawn up a transfer wish list and di Maria is at the top, owing to his excellent form for Real last season.
The Argentine, who has been strongly linked to Arsenal, recently stated that his future at Real is not certain, and United are now keen to take advantage of the situation.
"I am not going to lie, I know that there are clubs that want to sign me and can match Real Madrid's demands. But that's up to my representatives and the club. I will stay if the club wants me to stay," Spanish newspaper Marca quoted the 26-year-old.
"I am not thinking about my future now. We will see what Madrid have in mind, whether they want me to stay or leave. I am happy at Madrid. I had a great season and always had everybody's support. But sometimes you don't have a choice, even when you want to stay yourself."
However, United will face some competition for di Maria's signature as many other top clubs including AS Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Juventus and long-time admirers Arsenal are also interested in landing the Argentina international.
These clubs are capable of offering Champions League action to di Maria next season, while United are not. Still, the Red Devils are reportedly going to try their luck anyway and make a £25m offer for the former Benfica man, who scored 11 goals and made 24 assists in all competitions last season.
The 26-year-old had been subject to a lot of speculation last summer, after the big-money arrival of Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur. Rumours had suggested that Real president Florentino Perez was willing to offload di Maria, with some reports even claiming he will be a makeweight in the Bale deal.
And di Maria claims that those rumours hurt him, considering he was giving his 100 percent to Real.
"Many things were said, sometimes you think a lot and it hurts you when you are trying to always do your best for a club and then it comes out that you might be going to Tottenham. These are difficult moments for a player and it is difficult to keep out of it," di Maria pointed out.
"I was relaxed, I knew I was going to stay at Madrid. I spoke with the boss last summer, he wanted me to stay, I told him he could count on me. Things went well. I took a good decision and was European champion."
