PSG DENY big-money exit for want-away star
Tom Weber
- 31 Jul 2023 17:13 BST
- 3 min read
Nasser Al-Khelaifi has blocked Marco Verratti's move to Al-Hilal, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Kylian Mbappe saga isn't the only transfer question hanging over Paris Saint-Germain this summer. Though the French giants accepted Al-Hilal's record-breaking €300 million offer, the Frenchman has no intention to head to Saudi Arabia at this stage in his career.
The same can't be said of Marco Verratti, however. The news that Al-Hilal had also bid for the Italian were equally as shocking as the reports of their Mbappe offer because it came completely out of the blue.
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Verratti has been with the Parisians for over a decade, having come to typify this PSG era of dominance under Qatari ownership, but he would reportedly jump at the chance to make the big-money move to Al-Hilal.
Now, however, his potential transfer has hit a serious roadblock.
Nasser has his say
According to Fabrizio Romano, "[Nasser] Al Khelaifi has not given [the] green light yet to Marco Verratti’s move to Al Hilal." That is because PSG are holding out for 'way more' than the €30 million that are being offered for the 30-year-old right now.
The Italian is still under contract until 2026 and currently has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €33.4m. Though he has already assented to a three-year deal with the Saudi giants, they will now have to return to the negotiating table.
READ: Napoli REJECT €140m Osimhen bid as Mbappe raises price
Al-Hilal certainly have the money to improve their bid, but they have missed out on several of their targets in recent weeks. Besides Mbappe, Romelu Lukaku has also rejected the Riyadh club.
Napoli have also just rebuffed their €140m bid for Victor Osimhen. Because Al-Hilal offered €300m for Mbappe, the Italians want at least €200m for their star striker.
If a deal were to be struck, Verratti would join Kalidou Koulibaly, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Ruben Neves, Malcom, Andre Carrilo and Moussa Marega at Al-Hilal.
