In a massive revamp, Paris Saint-Germain is expected to sanction the departures of nine first-team squad players this summer.
The French capital team was startled when they were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid on Wednesday night after a late collapse.
Karim Benzema’s hat-trick in the second half changed the tie in the hosts’ favor, with Carlo Ancelotti describing the comeback as “miracle.”
PSG’s failure in Europe’s best club competition was yet another setback for the club, which has yet to enjoy victory in the competition despite securing a major Qatar-backed takeover in 2011.
Following last summer’s large incomings at the club – when six high-profile players joined the club – Mauricio Pochettino’s squad is massively bloated.
Last year, the team was able to sign Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos, the outgoing leaders of Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively, as well as a slew of other well-known players.
Following his departure from Milan, goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma – who was named Player of Euro 2020 – joined as a free agent, while Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum joined as a free agent after leaving Liverpool.
PSG’s pay bill is said to be in the region of €300 million, with Messi earning a club record €41 million net every year.
According to Marca, L’Equipe has underlined the club’s ambitions to gut its roster, with star strikers Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria poised to lead the way out.
Six additional players who have had varied degrees of playing time in Pochettino’s side this year are thought to have reservations about their futures.
Leandro Paredes, Idrissa Gueye, Thilo Kehrer, Layvin Kurzawa, Julian Draxler, and Ander Herrera’s futures are all thought to be up in the air.
The story also mentions the ‘fiasco’ surrounding Sergio Ramos, who was signed to a two-year contract with PSG this summer and paid one of the highest wages in European football, but has only played five times this season.
Messi and Neymar are expected to stay at the club for at least another year. Marquinhos, Marco Verratti, Achraf Hakimi, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Nuno Mendes, and Presnel Kimpembe are among the players the club wants to build their future team around.