Di Maria has shown little of the form which made him one of Real Madrid's Galacticos and it's believed he and his family are unsettled after being the victims of an attempted break in at their home earlier in the year.
Last week the Argentinian, his shaken wife Jorgelina Cardoso and one-year-old daughter Mia moved into former Old Trafford player Phil Neville's £4 million 45th floor apartment in the middle of Manchester.
They are only renting the property because Di Maria is understood to be contemplating his future - something the club are well aware of.
It means the attempt to bring in Real Madrid's former Tottenham forward Bale has gone into overdrive.
United who will have to smash the club record fee of £59.7 million which brought Di Maria to Old Trafford to have any chance of landing Bale won't take no for an answer.
Even though Bale regularly pronounces that he doesn't want to leave the Bernabeu for a return to the Premier League, United feel they can persuade him to change his mind if they can agree a deal with the European champions
Gareth Bale Player Profile
Ironically Di Maria's inspirational display helped Real overcome city rivals Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final in Lisbon last May.
But he has been unable to replicate that form during his time at United and has been substituted by a disappointed United boss Louis van Gaal in the last two games.
Now United could be prepared to cut their losses and listen to offers for the 27-year-old misfiring wide man in the summer with Paris Saint-Germain still keen on a player they were interested in signing last year.
As well as continuing their pursuit of Bale, Van Gaal is closing in on long standing defensive target, Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels and PSV Eindhoven's Dutch winger Memphis Depay.
Van Gaal will be without Northern Ireland defender Jonny Evans for six games including Monday night's FA Cup sixth round clash against Arsenal after he lost his appeal against a charge of spitting during the midweek win at Newcastle.
The FA's Independent Regulatory Commission found Evans guilty of spitting at Newcastle striker Papiss Cisse who accepted his punishment - a seven game ban, one more than Evans received because he was sent off earlier in the season.
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