“His head is elsewhere” – Christophe Galtier confirms he will not select PSG star in squad for Toulouse clash

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) manager Christophe Galtier has revealed that midfielder Leandro Paredes has reached an agreement to join Juventus ahead of the Parisians' match against Toulouse.

Paredes joined PSG from Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg for €40 million in January 2019. However, the transfer has not gone according to plan for him as he has struggled to establish himself as a regular starter for the French giants.

The 28-year-old has made 117 appearances across all competitions during his three-and-a-half years at the Parc des Princes. He scored three goals and provided 10 assists in those matches.

Paredes currently finds himself behind the likes of Marco Verratti, Renato Sanches and Vitinha in the pecking order. He has thus clocked just 49 minutes of playing time in Ligue 1 this season.

The Argentina international is among the players PSG are looking to offload before the transfer window closes on September 1 (Thursday). Juventus have been in talks to acquire his services for a while now.

Galtier has now disclosed that Paredes has agreed to join the Serie A giants. The PSG manager went on to reveal that the midfielder will not be in the squad to face Toulouse on Wednesday (August 31) as his 'head is elsewhere'. He told a press conference:

"Leandro Paredes will not be part of the group for the Toulouse match. He has reached an agreement with Juventus. His head is elsewhere. I have made the decision not to select him."

Hadrien Grenier

@hadrien_grenier

Christophe Galtier : « Leandro Paredes ne fera pas partie du groupe pour Toulouse. Il a trouvé un accord avec la Juventus. Sa tête est ailleurs. J’ai pris la décision de ne pas le sélectionner. »

Keylor Navas sera en revanche bien présent dans le groupe.

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🚨 Christophe Galtier : « Leandro Paredes 🇦🇷 ne fera pas partie du groupe pour Toulouse. Il a trouvé un accord avec la Juventus. Sa tête est ailleurs. J’ai pris la décision de ne pas le sélectionner. »

Keylor Navas 🇨🇷 sera en revanche bien présent dans le groupe.

While Paredes has agreed to move to Juventus, it is unclear whether the Serie A giants have struck a deal with PSG. The Parisians are prepared to allow the midfielder to leave on an initial loan deal, according to Tuttosport [via JuveFC].

However, the two clubs are yet to reach an agreement over the structure of the deal. They will be hopeful of ironing out the details of the transfer before Thursday's transfer deadline.

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PSG set to strengthen their midfield

The Ligue 1 giants are looking to offload Paredes before the transfer window closes this week. Idrissa Gueye is another midfielder who could leave the Parc des Princes in the next couple of days, with Everton keen to sign him.

The exit of these two players would allow the Parisians to reinforce their midfield. While they have already signed Vitinha and Sanches this summer, they have been working on a deal to sign Fabian Ruiz from Napoli in recent days.

Fabrizio Romano

@FabrizioRomano

Paris Saint-Germain are finally set to sign Fabián Ruíz, here we go! Been told he will fly to Paris tomorrow as deal is set to be completed. #PSG

Fabián will sign for PSG until June 2027. €22/23m to Napoli as final fee.

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Paris Saint-Germain are finally set to sign Fabián Ruíz, here we go! Been told he will fly to Paris tomorrow as deal is set to be completed. 🚨🔴🔵 #PSG

Fabián will sign for PSG until June 2027. €22/23m to Napoli as final fee. https://t.co/t1hTYlym9A

Fabrizio Romano revealed on Monday (August 29) that Galtier's side have agreed to sign Ruiz for around €22-23 million. The Spain international is expected to put pen to paper on a five-year deal with the Ligue 1 champions.

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