Manchester United Set to Lose £47m Battle for Di Maria

Manchester United have suffered a huge set-back in their pursuit of Angel Di Maria after reports in Spain claimed the Real Madrid star was set to snub the Premier League giants to move to Paris Saint Germain instead.

New United manager Louis Van Gaal reportedly earmarked the Argentinian international as his top-summer target following the arrivals of midfielder Ander Herrera and left-back Luke Shaw.

Di Maria's versatility playing as a winger and in a deeper role would suit his 4-3-3 formation either in attack or in the midfield.

However, it looks like the Dutch boss will have to look somewhere else to find his next target as Spanish AS reports Di Maria is on the verge of completing a £47m move to PSG.

AS claim Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has had a meeting with the French club's chief Nasser Al-Khelaifi in the Spanish capital to discuss the terms of the deal.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti considers Di Maria a crucial player in his squad but after the player himself asked Real Madrid for a move, Los Blancos expressed they were likely to negotiate a deal should any club meet his £47m valuation – and would spend any proceeds from his sale to sign World Cup sensation James Rodriguez from Monaco as his replacement.

"I still don't know if I'll stay at Real Madrid. I'm happy, but we'll see what happens," Di Maria recently admitted.

Both United and PSG were reportedly set to match Real Madrid fee demands but Di Maria's preference of a move to the French big spenders to play Champions League football have reportedly seen United lose the battle for his services.

Meanwhile, recent reports claimed United had already accepted transfer defeat and was trying to sign Arturo Vidal as an alternative.

Recent reports from Chile have also claimed the Premier League giants were close to finalising a deal for the Juventus midfielder after launching a £32m bid plus the services of Patrice Evra to secure his services .