Thierno Balde is set to sign a three-year contract at Paris Saint-Germain amid interest from Southampton and Leeds United, according to Goal.
From the outside looking in, you would be forgiven for thinking all is rosy for a European powerhouse who are hoping to follow up yet another Ligue 1 crown with their first ever Champions League title this season.
But, behind the scenes, there is a storm brewing at the Parc des Princes.
In the last few years, some of the biggest talents on the continent have slipped through PSG’s net – from Kingsley Coman to Moussa Dembele, Matteo Guendouzi to Jonathan Ikone, Mike Maignan to Boubakary Soumare.
It looks for all the world that Tanguy Kouassi, a superb central defender who forced his way into Thomas Tuchel’s starting XI at the age of just 17, it set to join Coman at Bayern Munich in the coming weeks.
And Adil Aouchiche, the so-called ‘new Zidane’ who equalled a 34-year-old Michel Platini record with nine goals in five games at the U17 Euros, could be about to follow in Kouassi’s footsteps.
So while Balde’s new contract is hardly likely to hog the headlines in France or abroad, PSG will be breathing a huge sigh of relief with one of their most exciting youngsters set to commit his future to Les Parisiens.
This will come as a disappointment to both Leeds and Southampton who, according to L’Equipe, were hoping to snap up the teenage full-back on a free transfer.
But with PSG desperate to prove that academy products can thrive at a club for whom money is no object, keeping Balde will feel like a step in the right direction.
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