Barcelona Transfer News: Late Angel Di Maria Bid Falls Through Over Price Tag

Barcelona's deadline day move for Paris Saint-Germain schemer Angel Di Maria fell through when the Blaugrana refused to pay Les Parisiens' price tag of €60 million.

Rik Sharma of Sport relayed Barca's stance:

Sky Sports La Liga expert Guillem Balague reported the Camp Nou club now intends to make no moves on the final day, due to the rising prices in an inflated market:

Barca backing off a deal for Di Maria on the final day of the Spanish transfer window comes after the club gave up on hope of signing Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho.

ESPN FC's Sam Marsden cited various sources from Spain, including Francesc Aguilar of Mundo Deportivo, detailing Barca's decision to give up on convincing Liverpool to sell.

Not going after Coutinho made Di Maria a smart target. After all, the Argentina international is a natural flair player, a creator of chances who is technically gifted and can score goals.

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Di Maria also combines well with Barca attacking talisman Lionel Messi at international level, something that made him an appealing target for a club looking to spend the profits from selling Neymar to PSG for a world-record fee this summer.

Earlier this month, Sport reported Barca wanted to use some of the funds from the Neymar sale to land Di Maria. Of course, the irony of Barca going back to PSG after the Neymar saga bitterly played out was not lost on some, including Sid Lowe of the Guardian:

Neymar's move to Paris was a contentious one. Barca even threatened to sue the Brazil international, according to Samuel Lovett of the Independent. This prompted the threat of a countersuit from PSG's new star, per BBC Sport.

Barca being put off Di Maria by PSG's demands is a fitting end to what's been a chaotic summer for the Blaugrana. Goal's Ignasi Oliva detailed the problems the club has faced, including Neymar's protracted exit and the inability to sign Coutinho.

Barca now resemble a club in crisis off the pitch, as board member Agusti Benedito has called for a vote of no-confidence against president Josep Maria Bartomeu, per another report from Marsden.

The failure to sign Di Maria will be one more reason to encourage those who want change at Barca to make their voices heard.