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What's the story?
French Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain have joined the race to sign Manchester United's Marouane Fellaini on free next summer according to English media outlet Mirror (via La Derniere Heure).
The midfielder's contract with the Red Devils expires in the summer of 2018 and is free to sign a pre-contract with a new side in January.
In case you didn't know...
Fellaini signed for Manchester United from Everton for a fee of around £28 million in 2013 and reunited with his former manager David Moyes. The Belgian international was a key player for Everton during his five-year stint at the Goodison Park, scoring a total of 33 goals and assisting 26.
The 30-year-old has also scored some crucial goals for the Manchester club since his arrival, but it seems that he won't extend his contract with the Red Devils.
Fellaini is currently sidelined with a knee injury and is expected to make his return midway through January.
The heart of the matter
Unai Emery's Paris Saint-Germain have joined the likes of Besiktas and Galatasaray in the race to sign the former Everton player on free next summer. The French club might make a move to convince Fellaini to sign a pre-contract with them in January according to the report.
The record signing of Neymar from Barcelona has put Paris Saint-Germain on the Financial Fair Play tightrope. The Ligue 1 side are also expected make Kylian Mbappe a permanent player with another huge deal putting more pressure on the club.
Hence, the Qatar Sports Investments owned club are looking for free transfers to save themselves from getting punished for breaching FFP rules.
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Author's take
With Paris Saint-Germain looking to escape the Financial Fair Play tightrope, Fellaini is a good transfer option for the French side. Signing the Belgian for free in the summer would add quality to the French side's squad and also take pressure off them.
