Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta has admitted that he will not be looking to sign Angel Di Maria should he win the upcoming election.
According to the Sun (h/t Rob Burnett of the Daily Mirror), Lionel Messi wants the Blaugrana to bring in the Manchester United star, who has been playing alongside the Barcelona man for Argentina at the Copa America this summer. But it's a move that looks unlikely to materialise.
“We could not think about signing Di Maria,” Laporta told Catalunya Radio (h/t Peter McVitie of Goal). The former Blaugrana president then went on to express his confidence of going on to win the election. “We guarantee that we will win because we manage sporting success. I am very excited to be able to lead the club.”
It was a tough debut campaign in Manchester for Di Maria, who cost a British-record £59.7 million to bring in from Real Madrid last summer. But there have been some signs of life from the midfielder at the Copa, and there are plenty at Old Trafford who will be hopeful he can catch fire next season following a season of transition.
Still, as we can see here courtesy of OptaJoe, when he was on the field, Di Maria was a major creative force for United last season.
Nonetheless, where would he fit in at Barcelona? Neymar and Messi have the advanced positions on the flanks locked down, and although the Argentina international was a revelation at the heart of Los Blancos’ team under the tutelage of Carlo Ancelotti, he’s not an archetypal Blaugrana central midfielder.
As noted by football journalist Rafael Hernandez, the United man does make some frustrating decisions at times:
United would surely be at loath to give up on Di Maria so soon. He’s a player who will always have frustrating moments, but the only way to smooth down the rough edges that can so often appear in his game is to give him a set position and time to acclimatise with team-mates.
Hopefully, for Di Maria’s sake, he gets those chances next season. If not, talk of a potential move from Old Trafford will carry more credence, but even then, the 27-year-old just isn’t the right fit for the Blaugrana.
Barcelona Interest in Shkodran Mustafi Revealed
The agent of Valencia centre-back Shkodran Mustafi, Ali Bulut, has revealed that there is interest in the player from both Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Mustafi joined Los Che last summer following some impressive performances for Germany at the 2014 World Cup. But his representative has claimed that Spain’s two biggest teams have made their interest in the player known, per Bild (h/t Peter McVitie of Goal):
There has been an inquiry from Real Madrid. But there have not been any further talks.
Barca talked about a transfer in the winter, but Mustafi has a good contract at Valencia. It is a great club and he will play in the Champions League. If he is to move, everything must be perfect.
There’s definitely a lot to like about Mustafi. Although he may not be an imposing physical specimen, the German possesses razor-sharp defensive instincts, is dynamic across the ground and fully committed in the tackle. The former Everton man formed an excellent partnership alongside Nicolas Otamendi last season.
As OptaJose noted earlier in the year, Mustafi is a player who can pop up with crucial goals too:
But at this juncture, Barcelona are loaded with centre-back options. Javier Mascherano and Gerard Pique were both magnificent during the final embers of the campaign, and in Thomas Vermaelen, Jeremy Mathieu and Marc Bartra, Luis Enrique has superb depth in reserve.
A move for Mustafi wouldn’t be best for his development. Encouragingly, his agent seems well aware of that. The German has made major positive strides at Valencia, and with Otamendi consistently linked with a move away from the Mestalla, per Anthony Chapman of the Daily Express, Mustafi could play a much more significant role at Valencia in 2015-16.