Friday, 10th October, 2014



Monaco were close to signing Angel di Maria earlier this summer, but saw UEFA's financial fair play rules and the Argentina winger's strong performances at the World Cup derail a deal.

According to French magazine Le 10 Sport, Monaco achieved a draft agreement with Di Maria as early as the spring.



However, the club's president Dmitry Rybolovlev became concerned about the impact of signing Di Maria on Monaco's ability to comply with UEFA's financial fair play rules.

The final nail in the coffin came through Di Maria's performances at the World Cup, which saw Real Madrid set a sky high asking price for the winger, which only Manchester United were willing to meet.

 


Monaco dropped out of the running for Di Maria, while Paris Saint-Germain also cooled their own interest.

relatedNewsStory

And that left the door open for Manchester United, who stole in to complete a British record £59.7m deal for Di Maria.

The Argentine, who was handed the number 7 shirt at Old Trafford, has made a flying start to his career at Manchester United and is already a firm fan favourite.

Don't bet on football until you've visited Inside Bet! Interesting markets, top tips, betting facts – get all the info before you bet.