Di Maria: I nearly joined Barcelona in 2017
The Argentine star has been repeatedly linked to Barcelona, the rivals of former club Real Madrid.
Known for getting on very well with Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano (among others), Di Maria was preoccupied by the arrivals of star names like Neymar and Kylian Mbappe’. He has, predictably, found starting time in short supply this season.
The 29-year-old joined PSG from Manchester United for 63 million in 2014
“My move to Barca was really close but ultimately it did not go through,” Di Maria told Tyc Sports, one of Argentina’s main Sport channels.
His season has still been a positive one when he has played, scoring six Ligue 1 goals and provided five assists.
“I have started the year on a really good level and I am very happy, that I am assisting goals is great because I prefer that to scoring,” Di Maria added.
“Lionel Messi? He’s the best every year, it’s always the same. Cristiano Ronaldo is special but Messi is from another planet.”