Manchester United’s record signing, Angel Di Maria, is poised to move to Paris Saint-Germain on loan; Jose Mourinho will block Petr Cech’s move to Arsenal; and Antoine Griezmann is keen to move to Chelsea – the top stories from the papers.
‘United’s Di Maria set for shock exit’ – Angel Di Maria is poised to leave Manchester United in a shock loan deal to Paris Saint-Germain, according to a report in The Sun. The French club this week lost out to Manchester United for £25 million Memphis Depay. Now they are planning to make up for that with a deal for the Red Devils’ expensive flop who has struggled to settle in England. That would mean a £6m fee up front plus taking on his wages with a view to a permanent move. Now PSG want to do a deal similar to the one United did with Monaco for Radamel Falcao.
Paper Round’s view: PSG were beaten to the signing of the Argentine winger from Real Madrid last summer when the 27-year-old made his £59.7m British record transfer switch to Old Trafford so it’s no surprise that they remain interested in acquiring his services. Di Maria last started for United when he was sent off in the FA Cup quarter-final loss against Arsenal back on March 9 and it is clear that he has struggled to settle this season. United could still be left to rue letting him go so soon, however, if indeed they choose to cut their losses.
‘Mourinho to block Cech move to Arsenal’ - Jose Mourinho will do his best to block any move from Arsenal for Petr Cech and would rather the goalkeeper move abroad than join a title rival, according to the Daily Express. Cech wants to leave Chelsea having lost his place to Thibaut Courtois, the paper reports, but Mourinho will not allow him to move to rivals Arsenal. It has been repeatedly reported that Arsenal want to sign Cech, so it will come down to whether Mourinho manages to placate the goalkeeper in finding him an alternative move.
Paper Round’s view: After a decade of loyal service, it appears that Cech will be given his wish to leave Stamford Bridge, but clearly it is understandable that Mourinho would not want him to leave and join Arsenal. With Arsene Wenger’s side having proven themselves to be potential title contenders next season, it would be very unhelpful for Chelsea to provide them with a much need world-class goalkeeper.
‘Griezmann keen on move to Chelsea’ - Antoine Griezmann is open to a summer move to Chelsea and is keen to find out whether the Premier League champions will make a serious bid to sign him, according to the Daily Telegraph. Atletico Madrid are reportedly keen to renegotiate Griezmann’s current contract to increase the £43 million buy-out clause that was inserted into his deal after joining from Real Sociedad last summer. But the player himself is actually trying to find out what the extent of Chelsea’s interest is before he makes any further decisions over his long-term future and is keen on the idea of a move to the Premier League.
Paper Round’s view: Chelsea have apparently tracked Griezmann for two years and are well aware of the clause in his Atletico contract that would force the Spanish club into allowing another player to make the move to Stamford Bridge. Griezmann can play anywhere across a front three and has scored 22 goals in 34 La Liga games this season so his quality is undoubted. With Didier Drogba likely to depart, there is no question that Mourinho will need to bolster his attacking ranks.
‘United could sign Falcao for cut price’ - Radamel Falcao could be made available for a cut-price fee by Monaco and handed a potential lifeline at Manchester United after Uefa imposed a £9.5 million fine on the French club for breaking Financial Fair Play rules, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph. Monaco’s need to cut costs and offload players may force the club’s Russian owner, Dmitry Rybolovlev, to consider lowering the asking price for Falcao. With few clubs in Europe either able or prepared to meet the costs of signing Falcao and paying his wages, the prospect of a reduced fee could prompt United to reconsider the merits of renegotiating the agreement with Monaco.
Paper Round’s view: Since United and Monaco agreed a £43.2 million fee last summer for any permanent deal for Falcao, the 29-year-old has scored just four goals in 27 appearances, making it highly unlikely that manager Louis van Gaal will seek to retain the player, who earns a reduced £265,000 a week. Would United consider signing him to a cut-price fee? It still seems unlikely, but if he can turn his form around it could represent a bargain if the wages are significantly cut too.
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