Angel Di Maria is poised to leave Juve this summer

It looks like Angel Di Maria’s time in Turin is coming to a close.

According to Goal.com, the 35-year-old World Cup winner does not intend to renew his contract this year and will leave Juventus. Juvefc.com is reporting that this decision is related to salary. While this move would deprive Juve of a player in the starting rotation, this is a good move for Juventus.

Di Maria has had an up-and-down season this year. He has scored 4 goals and notched 4 assists on the year (stats courtesy of fbref.com). Assuming those stats don’t change over the last two games of the season, those will be his lowest totals since 2009.

Di Maria’s play has dropped over the last few years of his career as he aged. He has also struggled with injuries and hasn’t played consistently over the course of the year. Juve can’t rely on him as a piece for the future of this club.

Juventus is a team that is set for a top-to-bottom overhaul this summer. The departure of Di Maria could be an easy first step in that process.

Juventus has a number of players who are above 30 years old on the roster. Because of this, the team has slipped because these players simply can’t keep up anymore. Di Maria is one of those players who looks like his best days are behind him. Juve could use this as an opportunity to be aggressive on the transfer market to bring in a young, talented winger who can provide a more consistent spark for a team that has struggled to generate offense.

Di Maria was a good player, but his time is past him and his departure is good for Juve.