It has today been reported that cash rich Paris St. Germain are planning a double swoop for two of South Western Europe’s hottest properties.
It’s thought that the Parisian club are compiling bid packages worth €60 million and €30 million for Athletico Madrid’s Radamel Falcao and FC Porto’s Joao Moutinho respectively. Carlo Ancelotti is believed to be desperate to strengthen his squad further for a push towards the Champions League title.
In the last three transfer windows PSG have already acquired huge names including Thiago Silva, Javier Pastore, Ezequiel Lavezzi and of course Zlatan Ibrahimovic, amongst others. Nevertheless PSG clearly do not wish to sit on the quality already at the club, rather continue with the clubs ambition to establish themselves at the top table of European football.
This news will be met with worry, anger and disappointment from members of the Chelsea and Spurs faithfuls, as both players looked set to head to the Premier League in the summer.
With Fernando Torres still yet to hit the form to warrant his £50 million price tag and competition lacking – Daniel Sturridge is the only form of proven backup – links with Falcao were constant during pre-season. It is believed that Athletico weren’t willing to sell, but with huge debts racking up at the club, a large offer would certainly have given their management something to think about.
Since the Chelsea speculation began the Columbian has gone from strength to strength, scoring goals with regular frequency on both the domestic and international stage. When folk now discuss the best players in the world, Falcao’s name now appears beside those of Ronaldo and Messi. High praise indeed. At the reported price of €60 million, Falcao would’ve still cost less than Torres. Sadly for Chelsea fans Abramovich is a businessman, and businessmen want to see results on their investments. Until stubbornness switches to realisation, it is hard to see the Russian taking such a monumental financial hit.
Tottenham fans will also have been alerted to this news, with the club said to have been just four minutes from completing a deal to bring Moutinho to White Hart Lane on Transfer Deadline Day. It has been said that the deal collapsed due to disagreements over the transfer fee, with Chairman Daniel Levy famous for invoking endless clauses into transfer agreements.
Whilst Spurs do not appear to have been left short – Moussa Dembele has proven a revelation signing in the centre of midfield – you simply would not reject the opportunity to bring in a player of Moutinho’s ilk. AVB’s desperation to get Moutinho was clear to see, so if PSG were to swoop it would be a kick in the teeth not just for Spurs fans, but also for the new manager.
Paris St Germain have the wealth that very few can match and the prices quoted represent an increase in what both English clubs were willing to pay. In these days of Financial Fair Play, it’s difficult to see how Chelsea and Spurs could realistically compete whilst retaining within the determined financial boundaries.
Of course it could just be rumours linking the latest trending players to a rich club but if Chelsea’s former manager gets one over on his old club and former rival, Tottenham, by capturing both Falcao and Moutinho it will be a loss not only to both clubs but the Premier League too.
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