Bharath Rammr
Manchester United have once again been heavily linked with a move for Paris St Germain defender Marquinhos, who has been linked with an exit from the French club for quite a while. Barcelona have had a long-standing interest in the player, and they will continue to remain as one of the favourites.
It has been reported by Calciomercato that the Catalan club have already made a £42million offer for the player, but it has been rejected by Paris St Germain. After having changed several managers in a bid to achieve Champions League success, PSG are going back to the drawing board after a disappointing campaign once again in Europe.
The club were knocked out of the Premier European competition in the quarter-final stages by Barcelona, who were able to stage one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the sport. Unai Emery was brought to the club in the summer to achieve success in Europe. Yet, the quarter-final stages continue to remain a major hindrance for the club. Now, they are looking at the possibility of overhauling the squad. This would mean they have to balance the books by selling a strong asset in order to create funds for new players, as PSG have already been guilty of breaching the UEFA financial fair play regulations.
Apart from Barcelona, it seems like United are have entered into the negotiations for Marquinhos as well. PSG are demanding around £60million for the defender, a figure that would make him the world’s most expensive defender, overtaking David Luiz.
PSG chief Nasser Al-Khelaifi is reportedly not keen on letting the player join a direct rival for the Champions League title, but he also understands that the French club have little option since there are very few clubs in the world that can afford such an extravagant signing.
Manchester United might not be a direct contender for the French club in the Champions League next season, as there is a distinct possibility of the Red Devils once again missing out on this competition for a second season running.
Jose Mourinho’s team will be able to reach the group stages if they win against Ajax in the final of the Europa League. Irrespective of the result, Mourinho will be strengthening the team in several areas of the pitch – including defence.
It remains to be seen if United can overcome the presence of Barcelona to sign the defender.
