Ligue 1: Xavi Simons leaves PSV to resign with PSG
Eredivisie club, PSV Eindhoven on Sunday, July 16, announced that Xavi Simons has exited the club to complete a transfer to PSG.
The former Barcelona academy player made a move to PSV on a five-year deal from PSG last year upon the expiry of his contract.
Upon returning to his homeland last summer, he shined under PSV coach Ruud van Nistelrooy. Simons came up with a remarkable 22 goals and 12 assists from 48 games in a PSV jersey, helping the Eindhoven giants win the KNVB Beker and Dutch Super Cup.
Nineteen of Simons’ strikes came from 34 Eredivisie matches, and he ended the season as the league’s second-highest scorer behind 20-goal FC Utrecht attacker Anastasios Douvikas.
PSG inserted a buyback clause in their deal with PSV for Xavi Simons, set at a modest €6m (£5.2m), and have now activated it.
PSV said in a statement;
“Xavi Simons has departed from the PSV training camp in Austria to complete a transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.”
Simons will undergo his medical and sign his contract today, but he may not be offered an immediate route back into Luis Enrique’s squad. It is believed that he could still be loaned out for the 2023-24 campaign.
Popular journalist, Fabrizio Romano claims that PSG will let Simons leave temporarily if Kylian Mbappe and Neymar both stay at the club this summer, but if one or both leave, he will remain in Paris.
PSG are desperate to sell Mbappe amid his refusal to extend his contract beyond the end of next season, but the Frenchman has affirmed that he plans to stay put and will make a decision on his future in 2024.
Meanwhile, Chelsea and clubs in Saudi Arabia are thought to be keeping tabs on Neymar’s situation, but PSG are not believed to be actively trying to offload the Brazil international at this moment in time.