According to a report from the Spanish outlet AS, Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are planning to recall Julian Draxler from Benfica to make it easier for Keylor Navas to leave. Draxler, who signed with Benfica in September, has scored twice in 19 games this season.
Navas, PSG’s second-choice goalkeeper, has only appeared in two games this season, both of which were in the French Cup. It has been reported that the Costa Rican is willing to leave Paris in order to play more frequently in the second half of the 2022-23 season.
The former Real Madrid goalkeeper has agreed to join Nottingham Forest, according to AS, though the Premier League giants want to sign him on loan. The Parisians must recall one player to stay within FIFA’s limit because they already have eight first-team players on loan.
Draxler, who is currently on loan at Benfica, is said to be coming back to make room for Navas’ departure. Both Draxler’s return and Navas’s departure must be completed by Tuesday (the deadline day is January 31). PSG is focusing on two more signings in addition to Navas’ departure and Draxler’s return.
Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar, who is 27 years old and is interested in moving to France, is at the top of their wish list. The defender, whose contract runs out in June, is reportedly wanted by Inter for €20 million. In the coming hours, the Parisians may match it or release him for the summer.
The leaders of Ligue 1 are also looking for a replacement for Pablo Sarabia. The Spaniard has just joined Wolverhampton Wanderers, freeing up space for an additional signing. Their top target is Rayan Cherki of Lyon, but if their Ligue 1 rivals won’t agree to sell him, they could also go after Malcolm of Zenit Saint Petersburg.
After the shocking Ligue 1 draw, Reims star Yunis Abdelhamid makes fun of PSG’s front three :
Reims held PSG to a 1-1 draw at the Parc des Princes on Sunday night (29 January) thanks to Folarin Balogun’s goal in the 96th minute. In the 51st minute, Neymar scored the only goal for the Parisians.
Yunis Abdelhamid mocked the defending abilities of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe after his team held their high-profile opponents to a draw.
He claimed that Reims was able to play out of the back because the trio didn’t help out at the back. Because the front three don’t defend, it was easy to get the ball past the defense. Abdelhamid told reporters, “We knew on our side that if we passed this first line, they would no longer participate in the collective defensive effort.”
“That was worked on. We wanted to take advantage of it, and we were successful in doing so. We gave ourselves so many chances as a result. Five more shots than PSG, Reims finished the game with 17 shots. They also shot more inside the box (11 vs. 9) and finished the game with a higher XG (2.51 vs. 1.69) than the Parisians did.