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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) remain on course to win the Ligue 1 title this season, despite their recent defeat to Monaco. The Parisians are 12 points clear atop the league table, with nine games left in the season.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi’s salary at the Parc des Princes has been revealed, and he is not the highest earner at the club. Elsewhere, Juventus are interested in Leandro Paredes.
On that note, here's a look at the key PSG transfer stories as on 22nd March 2022:
Lionel Messi not the highest earner at PSG
Lionel Messi is not the highest earner at PSG, according to The Daily Mail via L’Equipe. The Argentinean joined the Ligue 1 giants last summer as one of the biggest superstars in world football. The 34-year-old ended ties with Barcelona after the Blaugrana couldn't extend his stay at the club due to their financial woes.
Messi opted to move to Paris for his next adventure, but his stint so far in the French capital has hardly been fulfilling. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is yet to find his feet in Ligue 1 and has been off-colour on the pitch. Nevertheless, a player of his stature is on an exorbitant package at the Parc des Princes. However, it is Neymar who has the juiciest salary at the club.
The Brazilian joined the Parisians from Barcelona in 2017, opting to move out of the shadows of Messi. He has blown hot and cold so far with the French giants but is the highest earner in the French league currently.
Neymar currently pockets around £41 million per year before tax. Messi has the second-biggest paycheque in Ligue 1 and is on an annual salary of £34 million.
Kylian Mbappe is third on the list of top earners in the top tier of French football. The 23-year-old earns £22 million annually, although he is likely to leave PSG for Real Madrid this summer. The Ligue 1 giants take up the top 14 places on the list, highlighting their spending power. Marquinhos and Marco Verratti make up the top five.
Achraf Hakimi is the sixth highest earner in the league, followed by Keylor Navas and Angel Di Maria. Georginio Wijnaldum and Gianluigi Donnarumma make up the top ten. Sergio Ramos, interestingly, is 12th on the list. Monaco’s Wissam Ben Yedder, who earns £6.5 million per year, is the only player in the top 15 who doesn’t represent the Parisians.
Juventus interested in Leandro Paredes
Juventus are interested in Leandro Paredes, according to PSG Talk via Tuttosport. The 27-year-old is in the final 18 months of his current contract with the Parisians. The Argentinean has struggled for game time at the Parc des Princes. and it is not clear whether he will be offered a new deal. The Bianconeri are monitoring his situation with interest.
The Serie A giants are looking for a new midfielder this summer. Chelsea’s Jorginho is their preferred choice, while Paredes has been identified as a fail-safe option. The Argentinean is also wanted by Inter Milan, and if he leaves this summer, it is quite likely he could end up in Italy.
Marquinhos’s ability to lead team questioned by French pundit
French football pundit Walid Acherchour believes Marquinhos is not fit to captain PSG. The Brazilian failed to inspire his team as they were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Real Madrid.
Acherchour took to Twitter to claim that Marquinhos was too nice to be captain.
“We took stock of a lot of PSG’s problems, so there’s no point in repeating it, but having a captain as nice as Marquinhos is inconceivable. He will return at the end of the match and shake hands with Neymar or others as if nothing had happened. After his performances are also catastrophic from Real Madrid but even when he was very good, it was already too sweet, I’m sorry,” wrote Acherchour.
