Reports: Chelsea, Liverpool and Inter Milan to battle it out for PSG star

Liverpool v Chelsea - Premier League
Klopp and Conte will go head to head for the Argentinian's signature

What's the story?

Paris Saint-Germain have been flirting with UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations for a few seasons now, and are currently under review for their record-breaking heist of Neymar. The French club has already run afoul of UEFA in the past, and unless they can balance their books promptly, they run the risk of being banned from the Champions League, according to Sports Illustrated.

PSG will look to offload several of their non-essential players in January, and their spring-cleaning is set to begin with Javier Pastore. The central midfielder has attracted interest from several clubs ahead of the transfer window, including the likes of Liverpool and Inter Milan, and it seems like Chelsea are the latest club to throw their hat in the ring. Paris Saint-Germain have quoted a price of £18m for the midfielder.

In case you didn't know...

Javier Pastore began his professional career in his Native Argentina, playing for Huracan in the Argentina Primera. He ended the 2008-09 season as top scorer of his team, and his performances were good enough to earn him a move to Palermo in the Italian Serie A.

The Argentinian scored 17 goals and provided 12 assists for the Palermo side over two years, and moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 2011. Since then, Pastore has enjoyed significant domestic success, winning 16 domestic trophies with PSG. Pastore has scored 42 goals and provided 53 assists in 236 games for Les Parisiens.

The heart of the matter

Pastore has struggled for appearances this season, with only six in the league and just over 400 minutes to his name over all competitions. Pastore has been deemed dispensable by the Paris Saint-Germain administration, who look keen to move him on as soon as possible.

Liverpool and Inter Milan have been pursuing the midfielder for a while now, and Chelsea will have to step up their attempts to sign the player. Inter Milan are expected to heavily chase after Pastore in the winter transfer window, and they are currently favourites to sign him. The £18m price tag is highly unlikely to deter any of the clubs that are currently interested in the player, and should the deal go through, it will be a bargain.

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Author's Take

Javier Pastore's departure seems inevitable, and while Chelsea do possess the financial strength to fend off Inter Milan, it may come down to the Argentinian's own personal preference. Having already played in the Serie A, Pastore could choose to join Inter Milan.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith