Juventus are closing in on reaching an agreement with impending free agent Angel Di Maria.
Di Maria’s contract at Paris Saint-Germain expires at the end of the season and the player admitted earlier this month that he was unsure where his future lies.
“My idea is to stay in Europe for another year so I can go to the World Cup in the best possible shape if I’m called up, then I’d go back to Argentina,” the 34-year-old told Urbana Play (via Gianluca Di Marzio) earlier this month.
“I don’t know if PSG want me to stay” he added. “There is an option for one more season but I don’t know whether they want to activate it.
“If not, I will look at possibilities at other teams in Europe.”
Reports emerged in April regarding Juve’s interest in the veteran, and the Bianconeri are now ready to offer Di Maria a lucrative short-term deal to bring him to Turin this summer.
Juventus are ready to offer Angel Di Maria a €7m salary to bring him to Turin on a free transfer this summer
Romeo Agresti tweeted on Tuesday morning that “Di Maria is getting closer to Juventus”. In an article for GOAL Italia, he added that the agreement between Juve and the Argentine’s entourage is set to be completed in the coming days.
The Bianconeri are willing to offer the winger a hefty €7m salary to bring him to the club on a likely one- or two-year deal.
This move is one that Juventus would’ve made during their recent subjugation of calcio. The likes of Andrea Pirlo, Sami Khedira and Dani Alves were all brought in as free agents before enjoying prosperous Juventus careers. But more recent Bosman additions, such as Adrien Rabiot and Aaron Ramsey, have proved less fruitful which convinced the club to change tack in the transfer market.
Thus, there’s certainly an element of risk surrounding this deal. However, on the surface, Di Maria appears to be a superb short-term option for the Bianconeri. The Argentine, should he stay fit, will mitigate the loss of Paulo Dybala from a creative perspective and is a great fit for the supposed 4-3-3 that Max Allegri will transition to next season.