PSG activate Xavi Simons’ buyback clause from PSV

PSG have decided to activate the buyback option they had on Xavi Simons, and will pay a small fee for the player that left them last season. The news was broken by Fabrizio Romano that the Parisian side had officially confirmed to PSV that they wished to resign the 20-year-old as part of their transfer revamp, although the last word will in fact lie with the player himself, who is taking time to reflect on the decision.

Just a year ago, PSG sold one of their most promising talents to the Dutch league. Knowing the potential Simons possessed, the French club decided to insert a clause in his contract that permitted them the chance of resigning the player after only his first season at the club. The rumoured fee was said to be around €10 million, but his actual price is almost half that, and stands at around €6 million ($6.5 million).

Luis Enrique says ‘yes’ to Xavi Simons deal

Luis Enrique, although not yet confirmed at the time of writing as PSG’s new head coach (another one of the world’s worst-kept secrets), has given the green light for the operation, and is well aware of the attacking midfielder, who has exploded in his first season in The Netherlands.

The player made the World Cup squad in 2022 and Luis Enrique has been at the forefront of the negotiations to bring him back to wear the new PSG shirt. Luis Campos and Al Khelaïfi decided to make moves over the past week, taking advantage of Luis Enrique’s non-official position in the club to get things in line with Simons.

Xavi Simons still has the final say

The clause in the player’s current contract is not unilateral, meaning that Xavi Simons himself has to give the go-ahead, and has asked for guarantees regarding playing time in the French capital, something that he lacked in his first stint with the club, and what ultimately made him pack his bags and head to Eindhoven. The next few days, while Simons makes his decision, will be crucial in seeing how this mystery unfolds.