CaughtOffside takes a look at the players potentially moving on from Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint Germain this summer.
Paris Saint Germain are well on the way to establishing themselves as one of Europe’s leading clubs after winning Ligue 1 at a canter from nearest rivals AS Monaco last season, but the ambitious Parisian club will be keen to strengthen once again this summer after they were disappointingly beaten in the Champions League quarter finals by Chelsea.
This will mean that some players are surplus to requirements in Laurent Blanc’s squad – a selection of players crammed full of quality after some heavy recruitment since the club were taken over by wealthy investors.
Premier League teams have already been linked with exciting moves for some of PSG’s biggest stars, so CaughtOffside decided to take a look at the players who could be available from France’s leading club this summer.
Marquinhos (Defender)
Signed for a huge fee from Serie club AS Roma just twelve months ago, 20 year-old Brazilian centre back Marquinhos is already being linked with a move away from PSG to the bright lights of Barcelona.
If the Catalan club are to lure one of the world’s finest young defenders away from Paris then they will have to pay a heavy price, but it is a deal that could go through as it is hard to see Marquinhos nailing down a consistent first team place ahead of fellow countrymen David Luiz and Thiago Silva.
Gregory van der Wiel (Defender)
With reports suggesting that PSG have “grown frustrated” with their current options at right back, Gregory van der Wiel could well be moving on from the club after his poor form and lack of fitness saw him miss out on the Netherlands squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Van der Wiel largely made his name at the last tournament in South Africa, earning him a move to PSG along with his excellent performances for Ajax in the Eredivisie, but Blanc appears to be considering an upgrade on the 26 year-old.
Adrien Rabiot (Midfielder)
Classy young midfielder Adrien Rabiot looks likely to be on the move after struggling to break into Laurent Blanc’s first team on a consistent basis, with Premier League sides Manchester United and Arsenal mentioned as potential destinations for the 19 year-old.
Rabiot, a product of the youth system at PSG, has made 31 Ligue 1 appearances for the club, as well as 13 during a loan spell with Toulouse, but may well be left behind by the pace at which the club are looking to evolve.
Ezequiel Lavezzi (Forward)
One of the first big money captures of the new era at PSG, Argentinian international forward Ezequiel Lavezzi looks set to move on this summer, with Premier League London duo Arsenal and Chelsea both appearing to be interested.
Lavezzi joined for a huge fee from Napoli in 2012 but has found himself marginalised at times under Blanc, suffering from the duopoly that Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani hold on the club’s attacking positions.
Edinson Cavani (Forward)
Another huge acquisition from Serie A who has found himself shifted out of position due to the almost god-like status of Ibrahimovic in the French capital is Edinson Cavani, who has often ploughed his furrow out on the right under Blanc.
This has led to some suggestions that the former Palermo and Napoli star may wish to move on from PSG this summer, with Manchester United being linked with an audacious swoop for the Uruguayan international.