Di Maria takes drastic transfer decision after DEATH THREAT

Tom Weber

• Updated: 12 Apr 2024 16:12 BST
• 2 min read

Angel di Maria could extend his Benfica contract after being targeted with death threats in the wake of saying he would like to return to his boyhood club Rosario Central.

The Argentine winger is one of the modern game's greats and still going strong at 36 years of age. Formerly of Man Utd and Real Madrid, Di Maria has been plying his trade with Benfica in Portugal this season, though the campaign is bound to end in disappointment, with the Eagles set to be bettered by Ruben Amorim's Sporting CP.

Di Maria is only under contract until the end of the season and he recently addressed his uncertain future. The veteran attacker admitted that he would love to end his career at boyhood club Rosario Central back in his native Argentina.

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However, in the wake of his statement, he and his family received a death threat believed to have come from a criminal gang. "Tell your son Angel not to come back to Rosario because we will kill a family member," a note found outside his family home in Rosario read. "Not even [provincial governor Maximiliano] Pullaro is going to save you. We don't leave paper notes. We leave bullets and dead people behind."

Current ETV

Ángel Di María

AM, F, M (R)

SL Benfica

Ángel Di María

AM, F, M (R)

SL Benfica

€6.3M

ETV Range

€4.7M - €7.8M

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Di Maria U-turn

In light of these shocking events, a return to Rosario appears unlikely in the near future. Instead, Benfica could look to offer the veteran a contract extension, according to Portuguese media.

Asked about a potential new deal after Benfica beat Marseille 2-1 in their Europa League quarter-final first-leg, Di Maria said: "I'm very happy and calm. The season isn't over yet, I'll try to continue to do my best this season and see what happens next season. The important thing is to stay focused on the remaining games and try to win titles for this club."

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The Argentine also spoke about the incident back in Argentina. Asked how he is feeling, the winger responded: "I don't know. I'm calm. What happened is a little more personal. It's my family. I try to leave this issue and what happened there. The important thing is that my family is fine and nothing happened. That's what's most important."