Paris Saint-Germain forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, left, keeps the ball away from Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney, right, in the first half of an International Champions Cup soccer match on Wednesday. (AP)
Paris Saint-Germain claimed the International Champions Cup with a 2-0 victory over Manchester United on Wednesday night at Soldier Field.
Off the field, PSG might be on the verge of scoring another victory over the Red Devils. Following the game, PSG manager Laurent Blanc said his squad is close to finishing a deal with Manchester United for talented midfielder Angel di Maria, who didn't make the trip to the U.S. for the four-match series.
''As Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are very big clubs, negotiations can be difficult,'' Blanc said through a translator. ''But I feel negotiations are close to the end.''
The transfer fee could be as high as $71.7 million for di Maria, who spent last season with Manchester United after the Red Devils picked him up from Real Madrid for an even larger fee.
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal wouldn't confirm that a deal is imminent.
''I don't answer that question,'' van Gaal said. ''I don't know. We'll announce something when it's done. It is not done. It's a process. I want to interfere with nothing.''
Without di Maria, Manchester United's attack sometimes sputtered, while Paris Saint-Germain was able to hold on after goals from midfielder Blaise Matuidi and forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the first 34 minutes.
The victory, before 61,351 spectators, brought PSG the trophy for the series of summer exhibitions. They tied the New York Red Bulls with 10 points on 3-0-1 records, but took the tiebreaker on goal differential.
''There's a huge quality to this tournament, but we can't forget there's an official match (against Olympique Lyonnais in the French League) to win in a few days in Montreal.''
That match is Saturday.
Matuidi opened the scoring in the 25th minute. Matuidi ran into the penalty area, fended off defender Phil Jones and sent a slow roller past charging goalkeeper David De Gea.
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