Spanish club’s president has revealed he offered to make the winger one of the club’s highest paid players – but couldn’t stop him leaving for United.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez insists he couldn’t afford Manchester United new boy Angel Di Maria.
Perez revealed at a press conference on Friday that Real Madrid offered to make Di Maria the club’s second highest earner behind Cristiano Ronaldo, who is reported to earn around £15m a year.
And he insisted it was Di Maria’s decision to leave for Old Trafford, rejecting suggestions the Argentinian was forced out at the Bernabeu.
Perez said: “I’ve been here since 2000.
“Since then a lot of players have come and gone and my experience tells me that the ones that leave are always the best and those that arrive are always questioned.
“We made the best offer that we could to Di Maria and he didn’t accept it.
“Hence, we brought in James (Rodriguez), one of the best players at the World Cup and the Golden Boot award winner.
“Di Maria and all of those that have left have our gratitude and respect.
“A player that is under contract and leaves is because he wants to.
“Real has always respected contracts.
“Di Maria had financial requests that I considered legitimate but we couldn’t satisfy them.
“I reiterate that we made him the best possible offer.
“With the exception of Cristiano (Ronaldo), Di Maria would have been the highest paid at Real Madrid.
“Had we accepted his financial demands it would have created an unbalanced treatment that would have put the club’s stability in danger.
“Di Maria left to Manchester for a fee that we considered fair and that is why the transfer was completed.
“We wish Di Maria the best professionally and personally.”
Perez also lifted the lid on Radamel Falcao’s move to United, claiming that Real Madrid turned down the chance to sign the Colombian striker from Monaco.
He admitted the 28-year-old was on Real’s radar this summer, but hinted coach Carlo Ancelotti pulled the plug on the deal.
Perez added: “We considered signing Falcao.
“But in this club we follow a sporting-economic equation which (former club president Santiago) Bernabeu taught us, and we decided not to do so.
“The coach’s opinion was also important in us turning it down.”
