Former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder and Italy international Marco Verratti (30) reportedly turned up overweight for Les Parisiens’ pre-season. On the eve of PSG’s Champions League home opener against Borussia Dortmund, L’Equipe wrote a feature regarding the Ligue 1 champions’ pre-season marred by the latest Kylian Mbappé’s transfer saga and the departures of key players, including Sergio Ramos, Neymar or Verratti.
The outlet understands that the Italian midfielder’s case was at the center of discussions between newly-named coach Luis Enrique and the club’s hierarchy, embodied by Sporting advisor Luís Campos and club president Nasser Al Khelaifi. The former Barcelona was reportedly keen to retain Verratti, a technically gifted and press-resistant midfielder in his prime years. Luis Enrique was then gradually convinced that the Euro 2020 winner’s wages did not match his output on the pitch.
Earlier tonight, the Parc des Princes thanked Marco Verratti for 11 years of service. pic.twitter.com/7jMmKMfJw7
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) September 15, 2023
The former Spain national team manager was also warned that Verratti was far from being an example to follow when it comes to his lifestyle and that the latter could be a bad influence on his teammates, which is something of a line not to be crossed for Luis Enrique. L’Equipe adds that the PSG coach realized this right away when he saw Verratti turning up overweight for pre-season.
From then on, it was over for Verratti at PSG. Unlike Mbappé, the Italian midfielder was part of Les Parisiens’ pre-season tour in Asia. But he was ultimately told by Luis Enrique and Campos to find himself a new club. Verratti eventually signed for Qatar Stars League side Al-Arabi after spending eleven seasons in the French capital.
GFFN | Bastien Cheval
