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EPL Updates: Man United agree to record British transfer for Di Maria
Manchester United have agreed a British record transfer fee of 59.7 million pounds ($99 million) to secure Angel di Maria from Real Madrid and are set to announce his transfer officially on Tuesday, British media reported.
- EPL PHOTOS: Manchester City crush Liverpool as Balotelli arrives
The Argentina winger arrived in Manchester on Monday and would have a medical test later on Tuesday, British newspapers said.
The transfer fee outstrips the 50 million pounds English Premier League rivals Chelsea paid Liverpool for Spain striker Fernando Torres in 2011.
United declined comment.
Di Maria cost Real 20 million pounds from Benfica in 2010 and he was a key part of the team that won the club's 10th European Cup last term but he was omitted from the squad for the Spanish Super Cup last week.
The 26-year-old turned down a new deal at the Bernabeu and Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Sunday he had bade farewell to players and staff.
Di Maria's signing would provide a boost for Louis van Gaal-coached United, who have taken only one point from their opening two games of the Premier League season.
Next: Will 'coaching breaks' make Premier League more interesting?
Will 'coaching breaks' make Premier League more interesting?
Chelsea football team manager Jose Mourinho has claimed that coaching breaks should be introduced into the Premier League to make football more entertaining.
Mourinho says a change in the rules would make football more entertaining and allow managers to change their tactics once during each half.
Mourinho's bizarre idea came after he admitted that he was left frustrated by their first-half display against Leicester City and admitted that he could not wait to change things at halftime, The Mirror reported.
But Mourinho said that it would help make games more entertaining for fans and would not be that different to the water break rules, which were used during the World Cup in Brazil.
The Portuguese manager said that football is very slow to change the rules, adding that they had to wait for many years for goal line technology and the third substitution.
He is hoping to be still in football when the coach is given the chance to stop the game during the first half once and during the second half to make the game much better.
Mourinho said that imagine against Leicester, he would have stopped the game in the tenth minute and it would have been interesting.
Mourinho said that Netherlands boss Louis Van Gaal in the World Cup, the referee stopped the game for the water break, and he changed the system of his team and managed to win the game.
So, the Chelsea boss said that maybe he would one day have the chance to stop the game in the first half and once in the second half.
Next: 'Balotelli will make immediate impact at Liverpool’
'Balotelli will make immediate impact at Liverpool'
Former Everton winger Kevin Kilbane feels that Italian striker Mario Balotelli will make an immediate impact at Liverpool.
The 24-year-old is the big signing Liverpool fans have craved since selling last season's top scorer Luis Suarez to Barcelona in July but Balotelli's famous on and off field antics may not sit well with some at Anfield.
The transfer fee was not disclosed but media reports have speculated the amount is around 16 million pounds($26.5 million)
Former Manchester City striker Balotelli is set to complete a 16 million pounds move to the Anfield club from AC Milan on Monday.
Kilbane said that Balotelli is an impact player and will make a difference straight away and he added that the Italian might be what Liverpool need, The BBC reported.
Fellow Match of the Day 2 Extra pundit Shay Given agrees with Kilbane too. He thinks that Balotelli will thrive under boss Brendan Rodgers.
The Italy international will not sign in time to face his former employers in Monday night's Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium.
Balotelli, who is expected to sign a deal worth close to 1,20,000 pounds-a-week, had a colourful two-and-a-half years spell at City, which was punctuated with flashes of brilliance and episodes of indiscipline.
Liverpool have sought assurances from Balotelli about his commitment and off-field behaviour and former City keeper Given, currently with Aston Villa, thinks Rodgers is the man to bring out the best in him.
Given, the former Republic of Ireland keeper, said that Balotelli is in his mid-20s, adding that the penny is going to drop that he needs to grow up and focus on football. He said that Rodgers is a great manager and will sort the striker out.
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