For many seasons now, a showdown between PSG and FC Barcelona has brought together a series of motivations that go beyond just the game. It's a rivalry that has also evolved in the 21st century around the interest, whether it materializes or not, in players from both teams. Just 48 hours before the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, interest in one of the most iconic players from Barça's youth team, Gavi, is on the rise in France. The midfielder from Barça, who is recovering from a serious knee injury and will miss this match starting this Wednesday at the Parc des Princes in Paris, remains one of PSG's potential future targets according to L'Equipe.
The media outlet pointed out that even though the chances "are slim," the 19-year-old Spanish international is still on PSG's radar despite the challenges that such a move would bring. L'Equipe mentioned that last summer, Nasser al-Khelaïfi and Luis Campos discussed the search for young talents who could be part of the new PSG project, with Gavi's name being mentioned. As per the report, PSG's interest has not diminished since then, not even after the injury to the Barça player.
Gavi is under contract with Barça until 2026 and, as per L'Equipe, PSG could benefit financially from the potential departure of Kylian Mbappé, which might allow them to focus on "challenging but not impossible" targets in the long run.
However, the difficulty of turning this interest into reality is already evident, both due to the challenge of convincing a player as committed to Barça as Gavi and "especially convincing FC Barcelona, because the release clause in his contract (1,000 million euros) is unattainable."
Among the factors that contribute to keeping Gavi happy at Barça is the chance that coach Xavi Hernández might change his mind about leaving. According to L'Equipe, Paris is still keeping an eye out, just in case. They noted that since 2011, the Qatari capital has helped sign eight FC Barcelona players: Maxwell, Neymar, Kays Ruiz-Atil, Xavi Simons, Rafinha, Messi, Arnau Tenas, and Dembélé. On Barça's side, only Lucas Digne and Kays Ruiz have made the move from Paris to Barcelona.
This content has been translated and adapted from the Spanish version of the digital newspaper