Angel Di Maria might just be about to make good on his blunt comments on Real Madrid four years ago by moving to Barcelona this summer.
The Argentina international is preparing to leave Paris Saint-Germain this year with his contract expiring this month after seven years at the club. The winger has made 295 appearances for the French giants, racking up 92 goals in the process.
But as he prepares to depart on a free transfer, several clubs have registered an interest including Juventus and teams in South America. However, the favourite to snap up the 34-year-old is Barcelona - despite his Real Madrid past.
The former Manchester United star has already given his feelings on a move to the Nou Camp - which would not go down well in the Spanish capital. While many players might think twice, Di Maria has actively welcomed a switch and admitted he would be keen as far back as 2018.
At the time, the forward told So Foot: "My relationship with Madrid is finished because my cycle there ended. Frankly, I wouldn't have a problem to play at Barca, to the contrary."
In fact, a transfer in the summer of 2017 nearly went through just two years into his PSG spell, further risking anger from their ultras but remained a key part of the squad at the Parc des Princes, even signing a new contract.
"I was close to joining Barcelona in the summer and yet far away at the same time," he added. "It is hard to complete moves to these clubs. I never lost hope of it going through but in the end, it didn't happen."
Now with the chance to leave PSG for good for nothing, Di Maria is wasting no time trying to force a move to his dream club Barcelona. According to Sport, the player has already offered his services to the Blaugrana.
The Argentine has an offer from Juventus but is waiting to hear from Barca and will not rush into a decision just yet. It is further reported that he believes there will be a host of offers over the next few weeks.
Di Maria spent just over four years at Real Madrid where he was a pillar in their La Decima team that won the club's tenth Champions League title. In 190 appearances for Los Blancos, he scored 36 and made 84 assists.
Together with Cristiano Ronaldo, they forged a close bond that saw the ex-Benfica ace supplying the five-time Ballon d'Or winner on a regular basis to score goals for fun in a dominant period for Real. The news that he could be rocking up for Barca soon would be a huge shock to those at the Bernabeu.
Over the years, there have been several players that have donned the colours of both clubs but not many have the love from both sets of fans. However, there have not been many recent examples with the likes of Luis Figo and Ronaldo among those to have done so.
