Paris: Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) midfielder Marco Verratti’s agent has insisted that the Italian star will not leave the club this summer.
The 24-year-old, who is under contract at PSG until 2021, has been linked with several top European sides like Juventus, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
Juventus are in the hunt for a top midfielder, while Barcelona and Bayern reportedly see Verratti has a perfect replacement for veterans like Andres Iniesta and Xabi Alonso respectively.
Former Barcelona captain Xavi Hernandez had also said that Verratti “would be ideal” for Barcelona.
But despite querying earlier this year whether PSG could win the Champions League and saying his client needed to be at a “top European club”, his agent insists the midfielder is staying put.
“Marco Verratti will remain at PSG. Marco is happy in Paris, he has a contract until 2021 and he will definitely stay there,” the player’s agent Donato Di Campli was quoted as saying by football-italia.net on Monday.
“The will of PSG also has to be respected, it’s a club which loves him,” he added about the player who reportedly has a price tag of at least $75 million (Dh275.5 million) in the transfer market.
“We’ll meet the directors, but only to understand the project because the club remains ambitious and wants to win the Champions League.”
Di Campli also clarified that Verratti has no chance of returning to play in his home country.
Meanwhile, PSG striker Edinson Cavani could return to his former club Napoli after his contract with the Ligue 1 club ends in 2020, he said on Monday.
The Uruguay international, capped 91 times by his country, renewed his contract with PSG in April. He has scored a record 128 goals in 195 competitive games for the Paris-based club.
“After PSG I don’t know what will happen but if I will want to change team I may choose to return to Napoli and then go back home,” the 30-year-old told Sky Sport Italia on Monday (sport.sky.it).
“If one day I return to Napoli I would like to return in good shape. Therefore I say we’ll see at the end of my current contract which expires in 2020.” Cavani joined PSG in 2013 after spending three years at Serie A club Napoli. He made 104 appearances for the Naples-based team in all competitions, scoring 104 goals.
“I don’t want to go back home when I will be too old, I would like to leave football at a high level, I wish. I would like to retire when I decide so rather than football leaving me,” Cavani said.
