Paris Saint-Germain chairman refutes Matuidi exit
Juventus supporters who were hoping to fill the void left by Paul Pogba's departure with his French international teammate Blaise Matuidi may want to look elsewhere.
Amid speculation linking Matuidi with a move to Italy, Paris Saint-Germain chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi refuted those claims Monday as the club welcomed Jese from Real Madrid.
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Often the mouthpiece for the four-time reigning Ligue 1 champ, Al-Khelaifi is no stranger to candidly addressing speculation.
"The transfer window is over for me," Al-Khelaifi conceded. "Blaise Matuidi is under contract with us and we have a very good relationship."
"We have not discussed the departure of Matuidi. He is a pillar of our team."
Related: Emery admits Matuidi could leave PSG despite wishes to keep player
While Al-Khelaifi's words will reassure PSG supporters who have grown to love the 29-year-old since he moved to the capital club in 2011 from Saint-Etienne, new manager Unai Emery conceded that Matuidi may see less playing time in a logjam of deep-lying midfielders.
"We've spoken about how there are a lot of midfielders and that there could be a situation in a given moment that the player could leave, but of course, I as coach am behind him. The circumstances could change that, but in principle, it's not what I want," Emery said in July.
With Marco Verratti, Thiago Motta, Adrien Rabiot, and Benjamin Stambouli all able to play in holding midfield roles, Matuidi, 29, is part of a position rife with depth. Couple that with Emery's move for former Sevilla pupil Grzegorz Krychowiak, and PSG boasts the continent's best depth at the position.
That may be reason enough for Matuidi to make the switch to Serie A, despite Al-Khelaifi's insistence.