Reports: Paris Saint-Germain to offer superstar attacker to Chelsea in January
What's the story?
The consequences of Paris Saint-Germain's sensational summer coup may be catching up to them, as they look to offload several of their fringe players in the winter transfer window. The French side need to make up for their spending and need to do it soon, or they incur the risk of missing out on Champions League football in coming seasons. The club has already violated UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations and is currently under review by UEFA.
A mass exodus appears to be on the cards for Paris Saint-Germain, and Lucas Moura's name is the first on the list. According to reports, he has been offered to Chelsea, along with the possibility of signing Javier Pastore.
In case you didn't know...
The inclusion of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe to Paris Saint-Germain's ranks has relegated Moura to the role of a bit-part player. The Brazilian was advised by Paris Saint-Germain's administration to move to Arsenal in the summer transfer window, but the winger chose to stay in Paris, voicing his determination to fight his way back into the first team.
However, appearances in the league have been hard to come by for Moura in this season. After 12 matches, he has played only 76 minutes of football over the course of five appearances for Les Parisiens. He is yet to start a game in Ligue 1.
The heart of the matter
Lucas Moura was one of the most highly rated young players in the world five years ago, as clubs like Manchester United and Inter Milan battled it out for his signature. The Brazilian eventually moved to Paris Saint-Germain, where he has shown great promise at times but has repeatedly fallen short of expectations.
His explosive acceleration and pace, and his ability to beat players have helped him in previous seasons at Paris Saint-Germain, and he scored 19 goals in 52 appearances for PSG in 2016-17. However, the likes of Neymar and Mbappe are considerably more skilled in that particular gamut of footballing talent, and Moura has struggled to break into the squad.
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Author's Take
While Lucas Moura will eventually be sacrificed by Paris Saint-Germain to foot their bills, perhaps London isn't in store for the Brazilian. The Chelsea side already has an abundance of wingers, and Moura won't come cheap.