Month: February 2023

Home / Month: February 2023

Marseille have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of out-of-favour Brighton attacking midfielder Leandro Trossard (28). L’Equipe are reporting that Les Phocéens were in talks for weeks with the player’s entourage, but Arsenal have hijacked the deal and are now leading the race to for the Belgian’s signing.

Trossard fell out with Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi and was considered a priority signing for OM president Pablo Longoria and OM sporting director Javier Ribalta. Trossard would have been a statement signing for the Ligue 1 second-placed outfit, following Gerson’s exit and Amine Harit’s season-ending knee injury.

L’Equipe are reporting that the Seagulls expect a fee between 20 and €25m for the Belgian international, who scored a hat-trick during Brighton’s frantic away draw against Liverpool earlier in the Premier League season. The player is said to be very keen to play for the Gunners and, according to L’Équipe, Marseille have almost given up hope on his signing.

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L’Équipe report that Paris Saint-Germain remain in talks with Lionel Messi over a contract extension, with several details still to iron out if the World Cup winner is to extend his stay in the French capital past this summer.

His initial contract was for a stay of two years, with an option for an additional campaign that would be mutually triggered – however, the idea is now to sign an entirely new deal. The length of the contract has yet to be worked out, and PSG need to be mindful of Financial Fair Play, having already been hit with a €65m fine following an agreement with UEFA, €10m of which are to be paid now. It remains to be seen whether Messi will be understanding of the situation, especially given that some of the commissions from his 2021 contract have yet to be paid out to his entourage, L’Équipe add.

A meeting is scheduled in the next few weeks between Messi’s father, Jorge, and the PSG management, with the Emir of Qatar intent on keeping the Argentine at the club. Inter Miami are pushing for the former Barcelona man’s signing, but the player himself is reluctant on a move to the MLS, as he wants to carry on with the Argentina national team until the 2024 Copa América, at least. He wants to remain at a top European club and stay competitive, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League goals record notably among his objectves – he is 12 off the Portuguese forward’s tally of 141. In any case, the likelihood as it stands is that Messi will extend his stay in Ligue 1.

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PSG’s historic home, the Parc des Princes, may welcome 60,000 fans if expansion works were to be carried out, according to a report from L’Equipe. The QSI-owned club and the City of Paris are at a stand-off regarding the future of the stadium – PSG wish to buy the ground to undertake expansion works in order to catch up with their European rivals. With a 47.000+ capacity, the Parc pales in comparison to the likes of Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena or Real Madrid’s Estadio Santiago-Bernabéu. But Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has no intention of selling what she considered “an exceptional piece of heritage for Parisians.”

But there’s a silver lining for PSG. Architectural studies requested by club chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi show that a 60.000-capacity Parc des Princes would be possible without lowering the ground, as the Paris ringroad lies underneath it, or destroying the iconic framework that is listed as an historic Paris landmark. The expansion works would mean a complete renovation from the inside with current stands destroyed and rebuilt closer to the pitch with a different tilt. In this solution, every square metre of the stadium would be taken advantage of, with lower seat comfort and restricted views as possible flaws. PSG and the City of Paris now need to get back to the negociating table to envision where Les Parisiens will play in the foreseeable future. Stade de France manager Pierre Coppey has shown interest in hosting PSG home games if no deal were to be reached between Paris and PSG.

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Fabrice Hawkins of RMC Sport reports tonight that Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Keylor Navas’ move to Nottingham Forest is still on and that negotiations are ongoing, although the Costa Rican international does not want to leave the French capital at any price.

The former Real Madrid man has agreed in principle to the move to the Premier League, with the format of the deal yet to be decided between the two clubs – the transfer could be a permanent one or a loan.

The deal appears to be a complex one that could go down to the wire. The triple Champions League winner has been second-choice at PSG since Gianluigi Donnarumma was officially made number one at the start of the season, the two having shared game time equally between them last season. This campaign, the 36-year-old has only appeared in cup games, and looks set to leave the club either today or this summer after a century of appearances in the French capital, winning two Ligue 1 titles along the way.

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With both Kylian Mbappé and Neymar absent with injury, it was up to Lionel Messi to lead Paris Saint-Germain back to victory at home. The Argentine did just that, alongside an excellent Achraf Hakimi in a hard-fought win over a fearless Toulouse side who were going into the game unbeaten in 2023.

The team’s injury crisis went from bad to worse early on as Renato Sanches went down with another thigh injury, and was replaced by young defender El Chadaille Bitshiabu while Danilo Pereira moved back up into midfield. It would be a nightmare start to Bitshiabu’s game, though, as the defender gave away a free-kick on the edge of the box – one that was slotted into the bottom corner by the visitors’ mercurial midfielder Branco van den Boomen to open the scoring, after a particularly badly placed wall.

PSG would bounce back, though, as Hakimi found the net with a curled shot from range after cutting inside, the Moroccan and Messi emerging as the hosts’ best performers again. The second half saw the Argentine get on the scoresheet, putting the league leaders ahead with a sweeping finish from the edge of the box.

Although a few chances did come the way of Philippe Montanier’s men – Gianluigi Donnarumma forced into a last-gasp reflex save from close range – there was an air of assuredness that eluded PSG against Reims, that helped them see out the win. It’s an air they’ll look to cling on to ahead of a hectic fixture list this month and an ever-increasing injury list. Marseille and Monaco up next.

PSG player ratings:

Gianluigi Donnarumma, 4 – Some suspect positioning on the free-kick scored by Van de Boomen and some frail showings in Toulouse’s attacks in the first half, but looked altogether more composed in the second.

Achraf Hakimi, 7 – The Moroccan has been PSG’s best player since the World Cup and once again led the way with his tireless work on the right-hand side – he scored the equaliser when the hosts looked to be submerged under Toulouse’s midfield control, and found Messi for the second.

Marquinhos, 5

Danilo Pereira – 6 – Started the match in defense before moving into midfield after Renato Sanches’ injury, doing a largely serviceable job in keeping play moving.

Nuno Mendes, 6

Vitinha, 5

Renato Sanches, n/a – The midfielder went down early on with a thigh injury, replaced by El Chadaille Bitshiabu, the young defender conceding the free-kick that led to the opener before composing himself and putting together a more solid performance for the remainder of the game.

Fabián Ruiz, 5

Carlos Soler, 3 – Despite his best efforts, the Spaniard’s contribution to PSG’s attacking phases is too feeble to make any real impact – this may be a result of positioning issues and isolation, but he was unable to make much of the few balls that came his way. Warren Zaïre-Emery’s introduction, albeit facing tired legs, instantly showed the difference between the two, the young Frenchman constantly breaking through and riding high in confidence after his first senior goal on Wednesday.

Hugo Ekitike, 5 – The young striker impressed with his work rate but was often too far from the penalty area to make a real impact going forward, although his contribution to the pressing effort was invaluable and he linked up well on a few occasions with his attacking partners.

Lionel Messi, 6 – After a somewhat misfiring first half – kept quiet by the omnipresent Stijn Spierings – the Argentine put the hosts ahead with a slick curled shot into the bottom corner and continued to lead the attacks in Kylian Mbappé and Neymar’s absence. Some intricate play on the edge of the box, but his teammates were ostensibly not on the same wavelength when it came to putting together chances.

Toulouse player ratings

Maxime Dupé, 5

Warren Kamanzi, 5

Anthony Rouault, 4

Rasmus Nicolaisen, 5

Moussa Diarra, 4

Brecht Dejaegere, 6

Stijn Spierings, 6 – Impeccable first-half showing to help the visitors dominate the midfield battle early on, ensuring the PSG attack was blunted. His influence waned as PSG grew into the game afterwards, but overall another impressive performance alongside his goalscoring compatriot.

Branco van den Boomen, 6 – Another great free-kick to open the scoring – his sixth goal in the league this season – as the Dutchman was once again the heartbeat of an impressive Toulouse side, that could only come up short today.

Farès Chaïbi, 4

Ado Onaiwu, 5

Zakaria Aboukhlal, 5