PSG to complete €45m transfer for former Barcelona target, Romano reveals
Robin Bairner
- 11 Sept 2023 07:41 BST
- 3 min read
Marco Verratti is set to complete a €45 million transfer away from PSG, with the Italy international star set to sign for Qatari club Al Arabi.
New PSG head coach Luis Enrique has made it clear that he does not see the 30-year-old in his long-term plans, with Verratti frozen out of the first-team picture since the start of the season amid questions over his attitude.
Fabrizio Romano says that the former Pescara player is now ready to complete his transfer to the Qatar Stars League, which is one of the few where the summer transfer window is still open.
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“Marco Verratti to Al Arabi, here we go! Verbal agreement finally sealed with the Italian midfielder who’s set to sign on a permanent deal with Qatari club,” Romano reported with X, formerly Twitter.
“Understand Verratti will travel to Doha in the next 24 hours.
“PSG agreed on €45m fee 10 days ago, it’s done.”
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Verratti's fall from grace
Verratti’s move may seem like a significant step down, but it has been one that has been looming for several weeks, with Luis Enrique unimpressed by the Italian, who was for so long a player coveted by Barcelona thanks to his technical ease.
Indeed, the Camp Nou side were once rumoured to be eyeing up a €100m bid for the player, so highly was he rated. Since those heady days, though, his form has plateaued and since dropped.
Although a key figure at PSG for the last 11 years, Verratti’s attitude has increasingly been questioned over the course of the last season, with rumours suggesting that he is one player that Kylian Mbappe wanted the club to sell.
This deal is the latest in the renovation work of the club, which has seen the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar depart this summer as Luis Enrique has cleared the deck.
Verratti’s transfer to Al-Arabi will reduce PSG’s net summer spend to around €150m, with the Parc des Princes side having bought lavishly in the form of Randal Kolo Muani, Manuel Ugarte and Ousmane Dembele all above the €50m mark.
