Paris Saint Germain will turn their attention to Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi if they are unable to lure Matthijs de Ligt to France.
According to Marca via Culture PSG, the Ligue 1 champions are on the lookout for a new central defender and Ajax teenager De Ligt is top of their list.
However, the highly rated Dutchman is being chased by a number of top European clubs, including Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, with his next destination still very much up in the air.
If PSG fail to land their priority target, they will instead aim to sign Man City star Otamendi, who has fallen down the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium in recent times – as per Culture PSG.
PSG have the financial muscle to win the race for Otamendi’s signature, but for now, they will continue to pursue De Ligt as a first option.
City’s first choice pairing at the back last season was John Stones and Aymeric Laporte, who performed admirably together during the team’s unprecedented run to three domestic trophies.
Otamendi, meanwhile, was restricted to just 18 Premier League appearances in total and at 31-years-old, now might be the right time for him to accept a new challenge elsewhere.
PSG are still lacking a permanent partner for Thiago Silva in the heart of the defence, which has ultimately held them back from progressing in the Champions League.
City have no more use for Otamendi and he could be the ideal man to serve alongside the Brazilian at Parc des Princes next season, but this particular deal is still a long way off.
Until De Ligt’s future is sorted out one way or another PSG may be quiet in the market, but Otamendi is an excellent alternative if the Netherlands international decides against a Ligue 1 switch.
