Undesirables at a high price
THE Daily Mail reveals some juicy exclusive information to us. Reading the sports pages of the tabloid this morning, we learned that Manchester United director of football, John Murtough, was in Saudi Arabia this month to negotiate several transfers. The Mancunian club is determined to sell 4 players to Saudi clubs: English winger Jadon Sancho, French central defender Raphaël Varane, French striker Anthony Martial and Brazilian midfielder Casemiro. By getting rid of these Red Devils, the club should make a turnover of more than 260 million euros. A substantial sum to reinvest in the winter transfer window. Unfortunately for the English leaders, John Murtough returned empty-handed from Saudi Arabia. After investing heavily this summer in the transfer market, the Saudi Pro League clubs will slow down in January. Especially since as we report The Manchester Evening News, Varane hopes that Manchester United will trigger the one-year extension of his contract. He doesn’t want to leave this summer.
Paris sensed the right vein
PSG should soon be able to boast of playing a few more matches per season by participating in the future Club World Cup. The tournament, previously annual, will now take place every four years with a first edition in the United States between June 15 and July 13. A well-done facelift by Nasser Al-Khelaïfi with the ECA. PSG will have the chance to participate in this competition thanks to its 4th place in the UEFA rankings. The potential direct gains linked to the competition that the Parisian club could pocket have yet to be determined, but it will certainly be a jackpot. “ At a minimum, there will be a participation bonus. It remains to be seen whether it will be comparable to that of the Champions League which is 15 million euros. We can also add a potential qualification bonus, a participation in ticketing and TV rights which should bring in at least between 30 and 50 million euros if not more », Estimates Pierre Rondeau, sports economist and director of the Sports Observatory at the Jean-Jaurès Foundation, interviewed by our colleagues at Parisian.
Only big posters in LDC
The draw for the knockout stages of the Champions League has been deciphered almost everywhere in Europe. In France, of course, we find that PSG can thank “his lucky star“. The Parisian club came second in its group but still avoids a high-end opponent since the French champion will face Real Sociedad. In Italy, we are already excited about dream posters. THE Corriere Dello Sport is certain that Napoli can beat Barça in what journalists are already calling the Diego Maradona derby. La Gazzetta Dello Sport believes, for his part, that Inter has a lucky star, like Paris. The Nerazzurri will face Atletico! Moreover, on the Spanish side, the draw is judged “satisfying“. All Spanish clubs will have open matches. For Sport, it is Real Madrid who are doing the best with the reception of RB Leipzig. Finally, in the Netherlands, everyone continues to follow the path of PSV. The Dutch club is currently on a series of 16 victories in 16 Eredivisie matches, and intends to disgust BVB in the Champions League.
