Los Blancos tell the Gunners exactly how much Di Maria will cost.
Arsenal have been told by Real Madrid that it will cost £45m if the Premier League club want to sign Angel Di Maria from them, according to the Daily Express.
The Gunners reportedly made an initial £32m offer to Los Blancos for the Argentine, but they have responded by stating it will cost at least £13m more than that.
It’s unlikely that Arsene Wenger would sanction such a large fee for Di Maria, despite the fact the north Londoners paid Madrid a club record £42.4m for Mesut Ozil on transfer deadline day last summer.
However, it may be worth the Frenchman playing the waiting game, as if the Spanish giants succeed in their bid to sign Ivan Rakitic from Sevilla then their Argentinian midfielder may be surplus to requirements.
There was similar talk 12 months ago at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu when both Isco and world record £85.3m signing Gareth Bale arrived at the club, but instead the 26-year-old adapted to play in a slightly deeper role.
With Di Maria having a whopping four years left on his current deal in the Spanish capital, Madrid have all the power when it comes to negotiations – but they may be forced to lower their price if the South American asks for a transfer.
If this were to happen it wouldn’t be the end of the obstacles for Wenger and his club, as Premier League rivals Manchester City are also thought to be interested in securing the services of the Argentina international.
Read more Arsenal transfer rumours.
COMMENTS