Al-Arabi agree deal with PSG for Marco Verratti | OneFootball

Qatar Stars League outfit Al-Arabi have struck a deal with Ligue 1 title holders PSG over the possible signing of Italian international central midfielder Marco Verratti, according to our colleagues at Foot Mercato.

The Italian is under contract with Les Parisiens until June 2026 but PSG are keen to turn the page on a story that has been ongoing between the player and the club since 2012 when he joined from Pescara. PSG have made it clear to Verratti on multiple occasions during this summer window that they want him to depart. Luis Enrique understands this decision and is willing to respect it.

The player was initially expected to move to the Saudi 1st division, finding an agreement with Al-Hilal over personal terms. However, Al-Hilal have maxed out the money provided to them by PIF, the sovereign wealth fund associated with the country, allocated to them for this transfer window. As a result, they are unable to agree a transfer fee with PSG at this juncture.

Les Parisiens were seeking to extract €60m from the player’s sale. The 30-year-old had hoped to remain in Europe, but he has not received any concrete possibilities in terms of clubs willing to match his current sale.

Owing to the current inability on the part of Al-Hilal to conclude the deal, PSG have looked to Qatar and more specifically Al-Arabi to move the player on. Al-Arabi, whose president is a member of the Emir of Qatar’s family (the latter incidentally being the owner of PSG), have found a fee agreement with Les Parisiens.

Al-Arabi are now confident of being able to conclude a deal, although have yet to receive the green light from Verratti.

Verratti is prioritising a move to Al-Hilal, but that will only be possible if PIF releases more funds to the club so that they can complete the transfer, as reported by Sports Zone.

GFFN | James Thorpe