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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) secured a thumping 7-2 win over Maccabi Haifa at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday (October 25) in the UEFA Champions League. Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Carlos Soler found the back of the net to sum up a memorable night for Christophe Galtier's side.
Meanwhile, former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf reckobs Messi is back to his Barcelona form. Elsewhere, the Parisians are competing with Real Madrid for a Brazilian prodigy.
On that note, here's a look at the key PSG transfer stories as on October 26, 2022:
Lionel Messi is back to Barcelona form, says Frank Leboeuf
Frank Leboeuf has said that Lionel Messi is back to his scintillating best at the Parc des Princes.
The Argentinean hit unprecedented heights during his time with Barcelona but struggled last season after arriving at PSG. However, the 35-year-old has been on a roll this campaign and was on fire in the big win against Maccabi last night. Messi became the oldest player to score a brace and bag a hat-trick of assists in a Champions League game as Maccabi bore the brunt of the Argentine's brilliance.
Speaking to ESPN FC after Messi’s masterclass against Maccabi, Leboeuf said that the Argentinean never lost his offensive touch.
“I think Messi is back to what we saw when he was at his best with Barcelona. In terms of finishing, maybe he runs even less than before. Maybe he doesn’t participate like he never did in the defensive aspect of the game, but offensively, he didn’t lose anything,” said Leboeuf.
He added:
“He’s quick; he’s fast. He does what he has to do. He knows how to play simple and serve others. But on top of it, he scored again (Tuesday) two magnificent goals.”
Messi has registered 11 goals and 12 assists across competitions from 16 games this season. That's as many goals as he scored in the entirety of last season just two months into the new campaign.
PSG competing with Real Madrid for Endrick
PSG are locked in a battle with Real Madrid for the signature of Endrick, according to Marca.
The 16-year-old has just 60 minutes of first-team football with Palmeiras so far. However, he has already done enough to turn heads at quite a few clubs in Europe. The Parisians are among his admirers, with Los Blancos also on the list.
The Parisians have altered their transfer strategy under new sporting director Luis Campos, who is targeting younger players.
Endrick is next on their agenda, and the club have already submitted an opening offer of €20 million to test the waters. The Brazilian is valued at €35-40 million, so Palmeiras are unlikely to let him leave for anything less.
Apart from the French giants, Real Madrid have also approached the player’s entourage but haven't submitted a bid yet.
Parisians unlikely to win Champions League, says Peter Schmeichel
PSG are unlikely to win the Champions League this season, according to former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel. The Ligue 1 champions are unbeaten across competitions this campaign and have their eyes firmly on the top prize in Europe.
However, speaking after Tuesday’s game, as relayed by PSG Talk, Schmeichel said that the Parisians’ terrible defending could be their undoing.
“I think the problem they have also shown today, so when they’re up 4-0 all of a sudden 4-2; they need to score a lot of goals to win games, and it’s not always going to happen. I think they’re terrible defending. and that’s also because of the three front players,” said Schmeichel.
He added that the top three's lack of defending would put the Parisians at a distinct disadvantage against better teams at the business end of the tournament. He said:
“When you are at the stadium, and you see how little they take part in defending everybody else, Bayern Munich, Man City, all those teams, it’s eleven players attacking; it’s eleven players defending. And think in modern-day football, that’s what you need. And that, I could see, could be a problem in one game. One game against Man City and one game against Real Madrid, it’s enough to get knocked out.”
The French giants have three wins and two draws from five games in the Champions League.
