At fault on the first goal in Munich in the knockout stages of the Champions League’ against Bayern, 30-year-old Italian international midfielder Marco Verratti is going through another difficult season which further underlines his general sporting decline.
He even ended up annoying the board at the start of the season when he returned from vacation in early December (his country did not qualify for the World Cup) weighing four extra kilos, the kind of news that spreads quickly in an “elite club” dressing room – his team-mates, in particular, did not appreciate his lack of care in this department.
Despite a contract extension signed in December 2022 with a deal running until 2026, today PSG are opening the door to the departure of the player, who was also recently the target of verbal attacks from members of the Collectif Ultras Paris on May 3rd during their demonstration in front of the club headquarters.
If there was ever sign that he was no longer the darling of the Parc des Princes – it was this. The 2021 European champion is completing what is his 11th season in Paris, and it is his worst. Between his high salary – more than €1m gross per month – his loss of influence in move construction (with 2 assists in all competitions) and a lifestyle unlike that required from an elite athlete, the midfielder is giving the PSG hierarchy reasons to seek to separate from him, according to Le Parisien.
James Thorpe | GFFN
