The Ángel Di María saga appears to be finally drawing to a close with Manchester United agreeing to a deal worth £44.4 million (in excess of €60 million) with Paris St Germain which will see the Argentina international end his disappointing career in England after just one year and Louis van Gaal’s side take almost a £15 million hit on their record signing. The 27-year-old is due to fly into Doha to meet with PSG’s Qatari owners, undergo a medical and agree personal terms ahead of the move while United will move swiftly to bring in a replacement with old target Nicolás Gaitán still being rumoured.

Ángel Di María could be a Paris St Germain player in less than 24 hours after a fee was agreed between the clubs allowing El Fideo to travel to Doha and finalise personal terms. Louis van Gaal had said after last week’s friendly win over Barcelona that he did not know where Di María was after the player failed to get a flight and link up with the United squad in the United States. Having previously said that he was willing to stay in Manchester and fight for a place this lack of respect was the nail in the coffin, particularly for a renowned disciplinarian like Van Gaal.

Manchester United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has been locked in discussions with the French champions for more than a week and while the whereabouts of Di María have remained a mystery his international teammate and Paris St Germain midfielder, Javier Pastore confirmed that El Fideo wanted to join him at the Parc des Princes. Pastore told French newspaper Le Parisien: “He wants to come and I told him to join us. He is a great player. Plus, he alone can win important matches. I told him to join us. He also asked me many questions about the club, the city and the way of life for his family.”

This aspect of family life is one reason that some claim Di María wants out of Manchester after an attempted burglary at his Cheshire home left he and his family living in a city centre apartment instead. However, it is far more likely that after an increasingly difficult first season in the Premier League in which Di María lost his place in the side to Ashley Young, a switch to a far easier environment like Ligue 1 appeared very appealing.

Di María is expected to agree to a four-year contract worth around £170,000 a week after tax and although United are having to accept a significant loss just a year after breaking the British transfer record, the Red Devils will be pleased that this is finally over.

This allows United to move forward and bring in a suitable replacement and one of the names still strongly linked is Benfica’s Argentine midfielder, Nicolás Gaitán, The former Boca Juniors wide player has been a target for United for several years so it remains to be seen if this is anything more than an old story being rehashed by the press but some claimed yesterday that a deal was imminent.

Barcelona’s Pedro looks a more likely target at this point after reports suggest that his buyout clause is less than Gaitán’s and the 28-year-old is prepared to leave Barca after seeing his playing time reduced. If Di María;s exit is confirmed early this week, United will be expected to follow that with another signing before the start of the Premier League season.