Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain could be in the race for the transfer of PSV midfielder Xavi Simons later this summer, according to French football expert Jonathan Johnson in his exclusive CaughtOffside column.
Simons has shone in his single season in the Eredivisie, looking like one of the most outstanding young midfielders in world football and surely like someone who’s now ready to step up and play regularly for a truly elite club.
Johnson admits he’s not surprised to see Arsenal eyeing Simons up this summer, while he also feels the 20-year-old’s potential return to PSG can’t be ruled out either, though his future will likely become clearer in mid-July.
The Dutch youngster left the Parc des Princes last summer due to broken promises from the club hierarchy, so Johnson did suggest this could be an issue in terms of his return to the French capital.
Still, Simons does have a buy-back clause of just €6m, according to the journalist, so the deal is there for PSG to be done if he can agree to move back, even if it’s only for a relatively short stay before then being sold at a profit later.
This could perhaps give Arsenal hope, though it’s not yet clear how advanced their interest is as Declan Rice and other targets seem to be their focus for the time being.
My understanding, contrary to some reports, is that Xavi Simons has not yet entirely ruled out a move back to PSG. He’s waiting for PSG to outline what would be waiting for him if he were to come back.
“Simons moved from PSG to PSV last summer and his reasons for leaving are quite well documented – he didn’t get the minutes he felt he deserved or that the club promised him. They had said that they were looking to develop more talent from the academy and use them in the first-team, and though he did get a few minutes here and there, it was nowhere near the level of some of the club’s other youngsters like Warren Zaire-Emery in the season just gone, for example,” Johnson explained.
“PSG do have a buy-back clause for Simons, which is very low – just €6m, which is an absolute bargain when you consider how quickly he has developed at PSV in the last year or so. It’s no surprise to now see interest from Arsenal and other clubs in him, but it’s all a bit premature at the moment because his clause doesn’t become active until July and PSG also need to get Luis Enrique in place, while the club also have a few other signings lined up. So while this move can’t be ruled out, I wouldn’t expect this to become more formalised until maybe mid-July.
“The other possibility as well is that, given what Simons is worth on the market now, there is some scope for PSG actioning his return, seeing if they can make it work, and if it doesn’t, then maybe move him on again in the next twelve months or so at a considerable profit on the €6m fee.
“The future could hold quite a lot of different scenarios at this moment in time, but to me it seems like a no-brainer for PSG to try to bring him back and make it work as part of a revamped, new-look line up under Enrique. What Simons has achieved in such a short space of time in the Netherlands is very impressive and it’s exactly the kind of development PSG should have been able to afford to him during his time in Paris.”
He added: “It would be a blow if Simons didn’t show faith in this new direction PSG are trying to move towards, but equally it wouldn’t be too surprising either given the promises that he feels were made to him and then broken by the club.
“When he’s spoken publicly about PSG, he’s always spoken very highly of the club and of his time living in the city, so I think that door is slightly ajar for him. It’s now just up to PSG to really convince him, and that can only be done when Enrique is in place and the new project starts to take place.”