Angel Di Maria only moved to Manchester United as Real Madrid wouldn’t sell to Barcelona
Gareth Bale's arrival at Bernabeu spelt end and he was forced into Old Trafford move despite interest from Nou Camp side
REAL MADRID only sold Angel Di Maria to Manchester United to avoid losing him to Barcelona, according to reports in Spain.
The Argentine winger became the most-expensive player in British football history when he moved to Old Trafford for £59.1million in 2014.
Di Maria was a superstar at the Bernabeu and had just been named man-of-the-match in the Champions League final victory over derby rivals, Atletico Madrid.
Keep up to date with ALL the Barcelona news, gossip and transfers on our club page
However, the arrival of £86m-Gareth Bale a year earlier saw the former Benfica man fall down the pecking order and he opted to leave.
Related Articles
He moved to United before leaving for Paris Saint-Germain after just one season in the Premier League.
Barcelona were in the move for an attacker that summer to play alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar.
And claim Di Maria was an option for new boss, Luis Enrique, but Real Madrid refused to do business.
Luis Suarez did arrive from Liverpool that same summer — although it is not believed that was directly linked to the rebuffed enquiry for the Argentinian winger.
No player has moved directly between the two sides since Javier Saviola moved to the Bernabeu on a free in 2007.
Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and gossip ahead of the January window with SunSport's daily LIVE blog
But the most famous piece of business the 'Clasico' rivals made was the world-record move of Barcelona fan-favourite Luis Figo to Real Madrid seven years earlier.
Los Blancos shelled out a then world-record £37m to sign the Portuguese superstar, who became Public Enemy No.1 in Catalonia.
Meanwhile, Barcelona are keeping an eye on Isco, who would be available on a free in 2018.