Barcelona failed with sensational swoop for former Real Madrid man

Barcelona failed to pull off a stunning deal to sign Paris Saint-Germain winger Angel di Maria on Friday, reports ESPN.

The La Liga giants moved their attentions to the former Real Madrid creator after accepting defeat in their pursuit of Liverpool ace Philippe Coutinho.

Di Maria has dropped down the pecking order at PSG this summer following the arrival of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe and was reportedly hopeful of securing a return to Spain.

The Argentina international picked up every major honour during his four years at Madrid and would have been the first player since Samuel Eto’o in 2004 to represent Madrid and then later Barcelona.

Barcelona rekindled their interest in Di Maria after UEFA announced on Friday they had opened an investigation into PSG’s summer spending spree, but quickly pulled out of a potential deal after the French giants refused to lower their €60m (£55m) asking price.

Despite coming in for criticism for his performances in France, only Ryad Boudebouz (236) has created more chances than Di Maria (184) in Ligue 1 since August 2015.