On Monday, we learned that Thiago Silva will not be a Paris Saint-Germain player for the 2020-21 season and there’s already speculation about what team he may suit up for next.
According to Julien Laurens of ESPN, Silva believes he can play at a high level for another European team for two more seasons, which is just long enough to get him to the 2022 FIFA World Cup where he hopes to make the Brazil National Team.
In order to facilitate that move at age 35, Laurens reports that Silva would be willing to lower his salary, which currently stands at €211,000-per-week at PSG.
There’s been a number of reports about clubs that may be interested in the PSG captain but Laurens names Everton, AC Milan, and Napoli as the three that have the best shot at signing Silva.
Everton makes a lot of sense with former PSG manager Carlo Ancelotti at the helm. I worry about Silva’s affinity for playing too deep, though, and the pace of the Premier League game. At this stage in his career, I think a move to England would be a nightmare for Silva.
The new #Everton could speak brazilian: the first choices as central-defender and midfielder remains #GabrielMagalhães (Lille) and #Allan (Napoli). Meanwhile #Ancelotti is looking for #ThiagoSilva: if he doesn't extend his contract with #PSG, #Toffees will make an attempt… #EFC
— Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) May 23, 2020
Napoli is another club that I could see signing Silva on a free transfer because they expect to lose Kalidou Koulibaly when the transfer window opens. That would open up a starting center-back role and Silva was teammates with Napoli manager Gennaro Gattuso at Milan.
Speaking of Milan, could Silva return to the club he left in 2012 for PSG? Well, last January, Zlatan Ibrahimovic made his triumphant return to the Rossoneri. Bringing Silva back to Serie A would be a nice consolation prize should they miss out on another PSG defender, Tanguy Kouassi.
With his preference towards Italy and the challenges of Premier League, I think it’s safe to say that Silva will leave Ligue 1 for Serie A when the transfer window opens.
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