5 most overpaid players at PSG right now
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) boast arguably the best squad in Europe at the moment after signing a number of superstars during the summer. The Ligue 1 giants signed Lionel Messi on a free transfer while also bringing in the likes of Georginio Wijnaldum, Sergio Ramos and Gianluigi Donnarumma without spending a penny.
The club have also improved their full-back options by bringing in Achraf Hakimi from Inter for €60 million while signing left-back Nuno Mendes on loan with the option to buy.
With so many talented superstars in the squad, PSG also boast one of the biggest wage bills in the world. Lionel Messi is currently their highest-paid player while Neymar Jr. and Kylian Mbappe are just behind the Argentine in terms of salary.
The likes of Angel Di Maria, Marquinhos and Marco Verratti also rank amongst the highest-earners at the club.
A few PSG players have not justified their wages
Barring new signings, all the players mentioned above have performed extremely well for the Parisians and have shown why they are paid such huge wages. However, a few players have not lived up to expectations and have failed to justify their salaries at the club.
On that note, here we take a look at the five most overpaid players at PSG right now:
#5 Layvin Kurzawa - £80,000
In a bid to replace club legend Maxwell at left-back, PSG decided to bring in Layvin Kurzawa from AS Monaco for €25 million. The french international was a regular starter at Monaco and at the time was considered one of the best young full-backs in Europe.
Unfortunately, injuries at regular intervals meant that Kurzawa was unable to make more than 20 league appearances in a season. In fact, the full-back has made just 106 appearances in the league across six seasons at the Parc des Princes.
Kurzawa performed well whenever fit during his initial years at PSG. He even scored a Champions League hat-trick in 2017, becoming the first defender to do so.
But Kurzawa's form also seems to have dropped in the last couple of seasons, prompting PSG to bring in Juan Bernat in 2018.
Kurzawa was linked with a move away from PSG this summer but a transfer failed to materialize before the end of the window. The 29-year-old is yet to play a single minute of the 2021-22 Ligue 1 campaign.
PSG left-back Layvin Kurzawa has been offered to Crystal Palace. https://t.co/DS5CBjaukz
#4 Juan Bernat - £90,000
Kurzawa's replacement at left-back, Juan Bernat, is another player who has failed to convince during his time at PSG.
PSG brought in Bernat from Bayern Munich in order to provide stiff competition to Kurzawa and provide suitable cover for him. Kurzawa's injury problems meant that Bernat played 25 league games during his first season at the club.
But the Spaniard also started suffering injury problems with the defender making just three league appearances during the 2020-21 season before rupturing his cruciate ligament.
Pochettino : "We think Juan Bernat needs more time before being back in the squad."
#PSG https://t.co/3PmeuHOJ4w
Bernat and Kurzawa's injury problems meant that PSG needed a new left-back. As such, the club brought in the talented Nuno Mendes from Sporting CP during the summer. The Parisians also have Abdou Diallo at left-back, who the club brought in from Borussia Dortmund in 2019.
With both Diallo and Mendes performing well so far this season, Bernat might be sparingly used by the Ligue 1 giants. Hence, a salary of £90,000 is definitely big for a player who might barely play this season.