PSG Transfer News Roundup: Angel Di Maria reveals why Lionel Messi deserves Ballon d'Or; Parisians worried about Kylian Mbappe future, and more - 28th November 2021
PSG rode a hat-trick of assists from Lionel Messi to mount a comeback against St-Ettienne in Ligue 1 on Sunday. The Argentinean helped the league leaders come from 0-1 down to win 3-1 on the night.
Meanwhile, Angel Di Maria has revealed why his PSG teammate Lionel Messi deserves to win the 2021 Ballon d’Or award. Elsewhere, the Ligue 1 giants are worried they might lose Kylian Mbappe next year.
Victory in Saint-Étienne! ✅
Goals from @marquinhos_m5 and Angel Di Maria allow the Parisians to take the 3 points. 👊
#Ligue1 | #ASSEPSG https://t.co/6xNNQTJvFS
On that note, here's a look at the key PSG transfer stories as on 28th November 2021.
Angel Di Maria reveals why Lionel Messi deserves Ballon d'Or
Angel Di Maria believes Lionel Messi deserves the Ballon d’Or award for winning the Copa America with Argentina. The 34-year-old ended a long trophy drought with his national team this summer. The PSG star guided La Albiceleste to a historic win over Brazil in the final of Copa America 2021.
Messi ended the tournament as the highest scorer as well as the top assist provider. The six-time Ballon d’Or winner was also awarded the Player of the Tournament award. The Argentinean went on to join PSG over the summer, for whom he has scored four times in 11 games across competitions.
Lionel Messi had left his mark in his final season with the Blaugrana. The 34-year-old helped the La Liga giants lift the Copa del Rey title. The Argentinean finished the La Liga season as the top scorer for a record eighth time, and also registered the most assists in the league.
Angel Di Maria on if Lionel Messi deserves to win Ballon d'Or: "Yes. He had an important year in his career. Winning Copa America with his country after having so many things happen to him with Argentina, he finally won it. For that alone he largely deserves it." This via RMC.
Di Maria reckons Lionel Messi has already done enough to win his seventh Ballon d’Or award. Speaking on Rothen s’enflamme, as relayed by PSG Talk, Di Maria tipped his club and national teammate to win the coveted prize again.
“Yes, I think so. He (Lionel Messi) has had an important year in his career. To win the Copa America with his country after so many things that happened to him in the national team, he finally won it. Just for that he deserves it,” said Di Maria.
PSG worried about Kylian Mbappe future
PSG are worried Kylian Mbappe will leave the club next year, AS reports. The Frenchman’s current deal with the Parisians expires next summer. The Ligue 1 giants have moved mountains to keep him at the club. They even turned down a colossal bid from Real Madrid to keep the player this summer.
PSG were previously optimistic they could tie the 22-year-old to a new deal by the end of this year. Unfortunately there has been no progress on that front. The Parisians are now losing hope amid concerns that Mbappe could sign a pre-agreement with Los Blancos in January.
PSG contemplating Mauricio Pochettino exit next summer
PSG are contemplating manager Mauricio Pochettino’s exit at the end of the current season, according to Goal.
The Argentinean has been heavily linked with the Manchester United managerial job. The Red Devils are set to appoint Ralf Rangnick as their interim manager, with a permanent solution kept on hold until the summer.
Mauricio Pochettino is the leading candidate for the permanent job at Old Trafford. The Parisians have no intentions of letting Pochettino leave in the middle of the season. However, the PSG hierarchy are prepared to be more flexible in the summer of 2022.