PARIS, France, Jun 7 – Argentina winger Angel Di Maria has quit Juventus after one season, becoming a free agent amid claims he could be targeted by a club in Saudi Arabia.
The 35-year-old World Cup winner touched down in Turin after seven seasons for Paris Saint-Germain, going on to score eight goals in 40 games for Juve in a trophy-less season.
“I leave with the peace of mind of having given all to help the club to continue winning titles, but it was not possible,” Di Maria said on Instagram.
“I leave with the bitter taste of not having achieved that, but also with the happiness of taking with me many friends from a fantastic dressing room of which I was part.”
Saudi Arabia has drawn up a list of more than 10 players who have won either the Champions League or the World Cup that it wants to lure to its league, a source close to the negotiations has told AFP.
The list includes Di Maria as well as the likes of Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric, Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and his France teammate N’Golo Kante. All are at the tail-end of their careers.
Karim Benzema signed Tuesday with Al-Ittihad, joining his former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo in the Gulf kingdom after the five-time world player of the year moved to Al Nassr from Manchester United following last year’s World Cup
