Paris Saint-Germain
Big two dwarf £470m star on rich list – move to Madrid or Barcelona would have fuelled jump
Three of football’s biggest superstars have retained their places in the top 10 list of the world’s highest-paid athletes. According to Forbes, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar are raking in massive amounts of money every year. Messi and Ronaldo have swapped places on this year’s list, but they lag miles behind Conor McGregor’s $180 million annual earnings. However, while the big two have seen their income increase over the past 12 months, Neymar has suffered a slight reduction. Sportslens takes a look at the three high-earning footballers. Lionel Messi – Barcelona – $130 million Messi has edged back in front of Ronaldo in the standings, pocketing a staggering $130m to claim second spot on the list. A lucrative lifetime endorsement deal with adidas helps to keep Messi’s bank bala...
PSG President reportedly in personal talks with Spurs star as he eyes summer swoop
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi wants to sign Tottenham Hotspur right-back Serge Aurier this summer, according to FootMercato. The Ivory Coast international left the Parc des Princes for Spurs in 2017 and has established himself as a key player for the club, featuring in 110 games. However, Aurier has just a year left on his current deal and is said to be available for around €12 million. PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino is also keen on having the 28-year-old back at the club, and discussions are ongoing between them and Tottenham. The Ligue 1 giants are ready to offer the defender a four-year contract and a salary of around €7m per season. Aurier has always been open to returning to Paris, and he remains as determined as before. He has also been linked with a move to Real ...
Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona stars could beat Lewandowski for 2021 Ballon D’Or
The Ballon d’Or is arguably the most prestigious individual award in modern football, celebrating the beautiful game’s best player from the previous year. Now it is worth noting that the Ballon d’Or is not the be-all-and-end-all of football. It’s often biased towards those who shine in the Champions League. Media hype, big moments, and trophies won usually take precedence in the voting over individual performances. In fact, all Ballon dOr winners since 2007 has either won the Champions League or been the competition’s top goalscorer, and all since 2007 have reached at least the semi-finals stage. With no obvious standout, however, this summer’s international tournaments could be decisive. Lionel Messi and co. will compete in the Copa America, while Europe’s finest battle it out at the Euro...
Juventus eyeing up return for former striker if Cristiano Ronaldo leaves
Juventus have set their sights on two strikers in case star man Cristiano Ronaldo departs this summer. Ronaldo came to Juventus in the summer transfer window of 2018 for a club-record fee of €100 million. 33-years-old at the time, it was hoped that the Portuguese would be the man to bring them to European glory, having not lifted the Champions League trophy since 1996. On an individual level, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has been a smashing success in Turin. He is just one goal short of the century mark for the Old Lady, having made 130 appearances in all competitions. As things stand, he leads the Serie A Golden Boot race with 27 – six more than Romelu Lukaku, Dusan Vlahovic and Luis Muriel in joint second. Ronaldo is on the verge of hitting the 100-mark at his third club In contrast,...
Ligue 1 POTY: Who deserves to win player of the year for 2020/21?
The nominees for Ligue 1 player of the season have been announced, with Paris Saint-Germain, Lille, AS Monaco and Lyon players all involved. While the Ligue 1 title race is yet to reach its conclusion, Lille remain three points ahead of Paris Saint-Germain with just two games remaining. The latter do have a significantly improved goal difference, so any slip up from Christophe Galtier’s side could change everything. Who are the nominees Neymar (PSG) Kylian Mbappe (PSG) Memphis Depay (Lyon) Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco) Burak Yilmaz (Lille) Neymar Starting with Brazilian star Neymar, it is quite frankly a surprise to see him on this list. Neymar has only featured in 16 Ligue 1 matches this season, due to being injured for the vast majority of the campaign. Despite scoring eight goals and ...
Club hold ‘strong interest’ in £22.5m Arsenal star, talks held with agents last week
Paris Saint-Germain hold a strong interest in signing Hector Bellerin, who is likely to leave Arsenal during the summer, Calciomercato.it claims. The Spaniard has spent a decade with the north London club, but his playing time has significantly reduced over the past few months. He has started just two of the previous 10 league games and has been an unused substitute in seven of those encounters. With just over two years remaining on his contract, he could be on the move this summer with the Gunners planning for a squad rebuild. It is now reported that Juventus and Inter Milan are interested in Bellerin, but they have not made a concrete approach to sign him. Les Parisiens are said to be leading the race for the right-back’s signature, having held talks with his representatives last week. T...
Edinson Cavani offered £50K pay rise to stay at Manchester United
Manchester United plan to keep Edinson Cavani at Old Trafford for the 2021-22 season by offering the striker a wage increase of £50,000, according to reports. The Uruguayan has cemented himself as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first-choice striker during the second half of the 2020-21 campaign, playing a pivotal goalscoring role both domestically and in Europe – most notably in the Europa League semi-final tie with AS Roma, against whom he scored four goals over two legs. United do not have the option to extend the 12-month deal Cavani signed last summer, and it has been generally assumed the 34-year-old would return to South America this summer. However, Cavani can choose to add another year to his current deal, and according to The Sun, United plan to give the 34-year-old extra incentive to rem...
Leeds reportedly in contact with €20m French attacker PSG want
Leeds United are keen on bringing Brest attacking midfielder Romain Faivre to Elland Road this summer and have been in contact with his representatives, according to Le Parisien (via GFFN). However, they face huge competition from Paris Saint-Germain for his signature. PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino was impressed with Faivre’s performance against his side in a Coupe de France match and will go all-out to secure his services. They are ready to blow Leeds and others away in the race by offering Bandiougou Fadiga – who is currently on loan at Brest – as a makeweight to clinch the deal. Brest are expected to demand around €20 million for Faivre, and Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Monchengladbach, AC Milan, Rennes and Nice are also keen on him. Leeds brought in Raphinha fro...
UEFA ‘seriously considering’ switching Champions League final to Wembley
Europe’s governing body, UEFA, are reported to be ‘seriously considering’ switching the upcoming Champions League final to Wembley, the clash set to be an all-English affair. At present, the final is set to be played in Turkey’s capital Istanbul, at Ataturk Olympic Stadium, the arena having already missed out on hosting the showpiece last season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the last phase of the knockout stage having been moved to Portugal. However, despite missing out on hosting last year’s final, they could well be set to suffer the same fate this term, amid calls to move the final to England, after both Manchester City and Chelsea progressed from their semi-final encounters with Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, respectively. With an all-English final on the way, it seemingly makes ...
Report: Everton could re-ignite interest in securing signature of £14m PSG target
Everton reportedly could look to sign a new striker in the summer transfer window. According to reports from Tuttomercatoweb (h/t Liverpool Echo), several clubs including Everton are interested in securing the services of Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee this summer. Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, AC Milan and Rome are also monitoring his progress. Everton were linked with Zirkzee in the January window, with Sky Sports reporting that the Toffees were in talks to land the exciting Bayern Munich youngster. However, he joined Italian club Parma on loan instead. The Italian side have been relegated from Serie A this season, and it is doubtful that they will be triggering his £14 million option-to-buy clause to sign him permanently from Bayern. Everton are back in the frame for his signat...
Manchester City handed UCL boost after Kylian Mbappe injury update
Paris Saint-Germain attacker Kylian Mbappe will reportedly start the Champions League clash with Manchester City from the bench. The Parisians face off against City in their semi-final second leg tonight, with Pep Guardiola’s side holding a 2-1 lead on aggregate. Goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez at the Parc des Princes give City some breathing room, but the tie is by no means over. However, PSG will have to attempt a comeback without talisman Kylian Mbappe. It was reported in the run-up to the game that Mbappe could miss the game due to a calf injury. According to Telefoot journalist Julien Maynard, the French superstar will not be fit to start against City. Info @telefoot_TF1 Gêné au mollet, Kylian Mbappé ne devrait pas débuter la rencontre Manchester City – PSG. Mauricio ...
Manchester City reach Champions League final after home win over PSG
Manchester City have reached the Champions League final for the first time in their history, defeating Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 on aggregate. PSG thought they had made the perfect start when referee Bjorn Kuipers pointed to the penalty spot after an alleged handball by Oleksandr Zinchenko. However, VAR stepped in and overturned the decision after replays showed that the ball hit the Ukrainian’s shoulder. Not long afterwards, the hosts took the lead on the night and went two ahead on the tie. A brilliant pass by Ederson found Zinchenko down the left, who cut it back for Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian’s shot was blocked, but the ball fell perfectly for Riyad Mahrez, who slotted through the legs of Keylor Navas. The visitors weren’t deterred by this, and came within inches of netting an immediat...
