Angel Di Maria, Saint-Etienne vs PSG 2021-22Getty

Di Maria finally agrees to join Juventus after Barcelona flirtation

Angel Di Maria has agreed to join Juventus on a one-year contract, GOAL has learned, with the Argentine heading to Italy after briefly seeing talk of interest from Barcelona resurface.

The 34-year-old has dropped into a free agent pool this summer after reaching the end of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain.

A move to Turin has been speculated on for some time, with GOAL confirming first contact back in April, and regular rounds of discussions have now delivered a long-awaited agreement.

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What deal will Di Maria sign at Juventus?

The experienced South American will be penning a 12-month contract with Serie A heavyweights.

There are still a few minor details to be ironed out when it comes to financial details, but paperwork is ready to be processed.

Di Maria’s plans is to remain in European football for another season before heading back to his homeland.

He has a World Cup finals to think about in 2022-23 and wants to be competing at the highest possible level prior to that tournament.

Juve are prepared to offer him those opportunities and will be adding his skill set to Massimiliano Allegri’s attacking arsenal at the Allianz Stadium.

Di Maria’s career to date

A man with 122 international caps to his name first arrived in Europe when joining Benfica from Rosario Central in 2007.

Three seasons in Portugal brought him to the attention of Real Madrid, with the Spanish giants splashing out an initial €25 million (£22m/$26m) to secure his signature.

Di Maria won the Liga title and Champions League crown during his time at Santiago Bernabeu, but made a surprising move to Manchester United for £59.7m ($73m) in the summer of 2014.

He found the going tough in England and left Old Trafford after just one season to link up with PSG.

A spark was rekindled in France, with 295 appearances made and 92 goals scored across seven trophy-laden years in the French capital.

He is now poised to experience life in Italy for the first time, with Juve also poised to complete the capture of former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba as a free agent while still asking questions of whether Roma could be tempted into parting with Nicolo Zaniolo.

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