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What's the story?
Paris Saint-Germain have just completed the most expensive transfer coup in the history of world football, by luring Brazilian sensation Neymar away from Barcelona, a feat many considered impossible.
The French giants spent a whopping £199 million on the forward. However, reports from the Metro seem to suggest that Unai Emery's side are far from done with business this summer and are said to be lining up a serious bid for Ivorian midfielder, Jean Seri, whose release clause is approximately £36 million.
In case you didn't know...
Seri is a 26-year-old central midfielder who plies his trade for French side Nice. After an impressive string of performances in the 2016-17 Ligue 1 season, the Ivorian found himself first on Barcelona's radar and more recently, on Arsenal's, with Arsene Wenger understood to be looking for a reliable replacement for an injured Santi Cazorla.
However, PSG have now joined the race, wasting no time in moving on from the recently concluded Neymar saga. The club's chiefs allegedly see Seri as an able replacement for Blaise Matuidi who is believed to be closing in on a move to Italian giants, Juventus.
The heart of the matter
Seri was first touted to be on Barcelona's radar, with the Spanish side looking for someone to reinforce their midfield. However, Nice's unwillingness to sell the Ivorian has driven Barcelona into cooling their interest. However, it is widely believed that the Catalans haven't dropped their interest completely and are just biding their time.
Meanwhile, Arsenal were all set to make a modest bid for the midfielder, had Nice crashed out of the Champions League qualifiers. Unfortunately for the Gunners, Nice are still in contention for a berth in Europe's top competition, which could prove to be an obstacle to Arsenal's plans of signing Seri.
Arsenal have signed Alexandre Lacazette and Sead Kolasinac so far this summer, but are keen on bringing more players on board before the forthcoming season - as they will have to combat the dual pressure of having to improve their league performance, as well as competing in the UEFA Europa League.
The 2016-17 Ligue 1 season saw PSG narrowly lose out on the Ligue 1 title to Monaco and they will be keen to have a better season this time around. Bolstered by the flamboyance of Neymar, Emery will now look to acquire Seri who is considered to be a resilient fortification.
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Author's take
Seri is an extremely exciting prospect. The midfielder has a wide passing range and is very nimble on the ball. He will certainly strengthen any team he joins and it's no surprise to see Europe's finest interested in him.
Personally, the 26-year-old would love to play alongside Lionel Messi at Barcelona. However, Arsenal will benefit the most, should they land the midfielder, with the Gunners on the verge of losing their Chilean talisman Alexis Sanchez.
