Barça target Verratti asks to leave PSG
Marco Verratti asked to leave in a meeting with sporting director Antero Henrique, L'Equipe say. Nasser Al-Khelaifi wants to extend the player's contract.
Marco Verratti has formally requested to leave Paris Saint Germain.
Verratti asks to leave PSG
French newspaper L’Equipe, which has reliable sources within the club, announced the news on Sunday. According to L’Equipe, Antero Henrique, PSG’s new sporting director, held a meeting with Verratti last week. Henrique’s intention was to get to know the players, but the Italian dropped a bombshell: he wants to leave the club. This revelation will cause ears to prick up in Barcelona, while there is also thought to be interest from Bayern and Juventus.
Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the president of PSG, is understood to be standing firm, and not for the first time. As with the cases of Marquinhos, Rabiot, and Aurier, who have all received offers in the past, Al-Khelaifi’s initial response has been a ‘no’.
Moreover, he has instructed Jean-Claude Blanc, the general director at Parc de Princes, to begin work on a new contract for the ex-Pescara midfielder. His current deal expires in 2021.
L'Equipe expect Verratti to stay
L’Equipe expect that Verratti will remain at PSG, who value the player at €80m, and refer back to the previous occasions that Al-Khelaifi has not allowed want-away players to leave.
In 2014, Frenchman Adrien Rabiot wanted to leave for AS Roma, but ended up signing a new contract in Paris until 2019. One year later, Thiago Motta was denied the chance to join Atlético Madrid, while Marquinhos and Thiago Silva have not been allowed to move to Barcelona.
Verratti is one of Barcelona's main transfer targets, as Ernesto Valverde looks to strengthen the squad.
