Manchester United: PSG step up Angel Di Maria pursuit with £45m offer

Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly stepped up their pursuit of Manchester United star Angel Di Maria and are said to be keen to sign the player before he joins up with the Red Devils on their pre-season tour of the US.

According to The Telegraph, the Ligue 1 champions are confident they can persuade the 20-time English champions to sell the Argentine winger, who struggled to adapt to the Premier League following his British-record transfer last summer from Real Madrid.

Di Maria made a blistering start to life in England, but his performances trailed off midway through the campaign, which eventually saw him lose his place in the starting XI, with Louis van Gaal preferring Ashley Young in the wide areas.

PSG were keen on signing the former Real star last summer, but were restricted due to the Financial Fair Play sanctions on the club. But, according to the Daily Mail, they are increasingly confident that they can sign him this time around.

The report claims that the French club's sporting director Olivier Letang has spoken to Ed Woodward regarding a move for Di Maria, but the club is yet to match United's valuation, as they look for a figure closer to the £59.7m ($93.2m) fee they paid to sign him last summer.

It is believed that Laurent Blanc's side are preparing a £45m ($70.2m) bid to sign the winger and are keen to expedite the negotiations in order to avoid Di Maria meeting up with United this weekend.

The Argentine international is expected to arrive stateside on Saturday (25 July) ahead of the Old Trafford club's clash against Barcelona in the International Champions' Cup, but it is unlikely that he will feature as he has not attended even a single training session with the team.

The Dutch manager has remained coy regarding the winger's future at United, admitting that it is an ongoing process and saying an announcement can be expected only when there is concrete information.

"You can ask every time but it is a process. When we think we have to say something I shall say it. But he shall come on 25 July," United boss said, as reported by Sky Sports.

Meanwhile, according to the Mirror, Di Maria will not play for United again. It is also claimed that he could be unveiled as a PSG player in the United States, as the French club are also taking part along with United in the International Champions' Cup and will face each other on 29 July.

The 20-time English champions are understood to be resigned to losing Di Maria and have already identified a replacement in Barcelona's Pedro Rodriguez with Spanish publications Marca and AS suggesting that the Red Devils are close to completing a move for the winger. The fee is said to be in the region of €24m (£16m, $26.2m) plus a further €6m in add-ons.