Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc is continuing to cut an optimistic figure over his club's bid to sign Angel di Maria from Manchester United.
It has been claimed in France that PSG have agreed a fee with the Red Devils for the Argentina winger, who is now expected to shortly link up with his new club after undergoing a medical.
A four or five-year contract is on the cards for Di Maria, who PSG missed out on signing last summer due to UEFA's financial fair play regulations.
There has been no official word on Di Maria joining PSG, but Blanc has cut the figure of a man who believes the deal is all but done, failing to stop himself smiling at a press conference.
Asked for an update after he said a deal was very close, Blanc was quoted as saying by L'Equipe: "It is very close [smiles].
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"In one way or another, I think there will be a positive outcome.
"But in terms of transfers, as long as it is not official, I refrain from talking about it. Maybe that's because of superstition."
Manchester United had been expecting Di Maria to link up with his team-mates over the weekend, but the winger failed to board a plane to the United States.
He was given extra time off by the Red Devils following his efforts in this summer's Copa America, where he helped Argentina reach the final of the tournament in Chile.
