PSG wanted to sell star to Chinese Super League

Paris Saint-Germain attempted to sell Angel Di Maria to the Chinese Super League before his Champions League masterclass against Barcelona.

The former Manchester United man was touted out to possible Far East suitors after PSG instructed his agent Jorge Mendes to do so.

The Paris club were looking for a fee similar to the €63million they spent on the Argentine in 2015, with a Chinese buyer the only plausible way of recouping the money.

The Portuguese agent was pictured in China looking for possible deals for his clients, Di Maria, Diego Costa and James Rodriguez.

However, all three remain at their current clubs, with Di Maria said to be angered by PSG’s attempts to sell.

A report in GFFN claimed a source close to Di Maria had said: “Angel did not really appreciate it. He found it disrespectful and out of place.”

Before the Barcelona game, the winger had been in less than impressive form for the Ligue 1 side and has only started 16 times in the league this campaign, scoring just two times and assisting four.

In a complete contrast, the season before he had scored 10 times, while grabbing 18 assists.

With the January arrival of Julian Draxler, it was expected that the out-of-form Argentine’s time in the French capital was coming to an end.

However, Di Maria’s startling performance against Barcelona, where he scored twice, may have changed things.