Report: Barcelona Could Move for Angel Di Maria as Alternative to Coutinho, Dembele
Barcelona are close to confirming the signing of Paris Saint-Germain forward Angel Di Maria.
The Catalan giants are looking for a replacement for Neymar, who recently joined PSG in world record transfer worth €222m, and Di Maria has now been targeted after Barcelona's frustrating pursuits of Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho and Borussia Dortmund winger Ousmane Dembele.
The Sun believe Di Maria is closing in on a return to Spain, having previously played for Barcelona's bitter rivals Real Madrid, with his spot in PSG's starting team under threat following the recent arrival of Neymar.
With Monaco youngster Kylian Mbappe also heavily linked with a move to the Parc des Princes, Di Maria could find himself short on game time and instead seek a move elsewhere, with Barcelona reportedly keen on the Argentina international.
Wrapping up the deal quickly would be in the best interests for Barcelona, who will be without striker Luis Suarez for a period after the Uruguay international picked up a knee injury during the 5-1 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid in the Supercopa.
Barca manager Ernesto Valverde confirmed Suarez was injured but admitted he was not sure how long the former Liverpool man would be out for.
He said: “It is a knock on his knee but we will have to wait to assess the situation.”
In addition to the start of La Liga season, Suarez will miss Uruguay's World Cup qualifiers against Argentina and Paraguay.
Di Maria scored six goals and contributed seven assists in 29 Ligue 1 matches last season and has started both of PSG's league games this term.