With no football games to talk about, transfer speculation is running rampant especially when it comes to Paris Saint-Germain.
While most of the conversation is about who Leonardo will bring to the club, the latest news from L’Equipe reveals that the club’s sporting director plans to retain two major contributors who are entering the final year of their contract.
This summer, expect negotiations to begin with Juan Bernat and Angel Di Maria who are both reportedly “eager to extend their stay in the capital.”
In recent seasons, far too many players have been allowed to run down their contracts and leave on a free transfer, which obviously hurts the club financially. Just this upcoming transfer window, Edinson Cavani, Layvin Kurzawa, Thomas Meunier, and Thiago Silva could all leave without bringing back a transfer fee.
Leonardo hopes to reverse this trend and signing Bernat, who is the starting left-back, and Di Maria, who led Ligue 1 in assists by a wide margin. Not only will this help the club financially in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, but it also helps maintain quality depth within the squad for the next few seasons at least.
One player who is not very high on Leonardo’s list of priorities is Julian Draxler. The Germany international has been a spot player at best and like Bernat and Di Maria, he’s approaching the final year of his contract.
L’Equipe reports that Draxler will not be retained if a club makes an attractive offer for him this summer. According to Fussball Transfers, Arsenal and another Premier League club have reached out to Draxler to gauge his interest in leaving the French capital. It’s also possible that Draxler could be used in a deal with Inter Milan to help lower the cost of signing Mauro Icardi permanently.
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