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Ibrahimovic on PSG: ‘I have no reason to leave’

Will he stay or will he go? With the arrival of Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani at French champions PSG speculation has risen that star man Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be heading for the exit. Not true, says the Swede. Can we believe him?

Ibrahimovic on PSG: 'I have no reason to leave'
Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the day he was unveiled at PSG. Could he soon be heading for exit? Photo: Jean-FRancois Beausejour

Last year Sweden International Zlatan Ibrahimovic was Paris Saint-Germain’s marquee signing but just a year a later his future at the French champions is in doubt.

The main reason for the uncertainty being last week’s record breaking deal to bring Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani to the Parc des Princes for a staggering €64million.

PSG and their oil-rich Qatari owners could probably afford to keep both strikers on their pay roll but Zlatan is unlikely to want to play second fiddle to the Uruguayan.

However this week the striker moved to quell speculation that he was heading for the door.

“I am at Paris and there’s no reason for me to change club. I belong to PSG and I will respect my contract,” he added, in his first interview since returning from holiday.

Ibrahimovic did suggest however he would seek assurances from the club president Nasser al Khelaifi, wo is expected to attend Satuday’s pre-season friendly between PSG and Real Madrid, which will be played Ibra's home country of Sweden.

“I have not yet met with the president, but we need to meet and resolve some details, both big and small,” said Ibrahimovic without divulging what those details could be.

“With the president we talk about everything and often. We often talk about real estate. What we say, stays between us.  What is happening is now, happens every summer with people trying to link me with every club in Europe.

“I am confident because I know what will happen.”

And Ibrahimovic showed no sign of being put out by the arrival of Cavani.

“I have never played with him. We will have to learn and get to know each other. He will have to get to know the team, the city and the fans. He’s a very good acquisition and I welcome him,” said the striker.

After losing coach Carlo Ancelotti and Sporting Director Leonardo already this summer PSG’s success hungry Qatari owners are unlikely to want to lose another big name as they bid to boost the global profile of the club.

But as he has proved in the past however, Ibrahimovic a true journey man of modern football, will almost certainly do what suits him best.

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FOOTBALL

OPINION: Mbappé’s title, but PSG need to breathe new life into Qatari project

After being the star of France's 2018 World Cup triumph, Kylian Mbappé has been the standout player for Paris Saint-Germain in a Ligue 1 title-winning campaign that has been slightly marred by the manner in which they limped over the line.

OPINION: Mbappé's title, but PSG need to breathe new life into Qatari project
Photos AFP

PSG finally wrapped up the title on Sunday after second-placed Lille failed to beat Toulouse, having not won any of their previous three games when the opportunity to confirm a sixth French crown in seven seasons was there.

The Qatari-owned club can still make it a domestic double, with the French Cup final to come against Rennes next weekend, yet this will not be remembered as a vintage year.

While Neymar once again went missing due to injury at the crucial point, Edinson Cavani has struggled with fitness too, and coach Thomas Tuchel has regularly lashed out at the lack of depth in his squad.

The 5-1 capitulation at Lille a week ago was the worst league result for PSG since Qatar Sports Investments bought the club in 2011, and the first time they had let in five in a league game since 2000.

A record-breaking 14-match winning run with which they started the season now seems like a long time ago, the latest Champions League failure clouding Tuchel's first campaign in charge.

Mbappé, at least, has been a constant, revelling in his status as a World Cup winner and hardly ever being rested. He only turned 20 in December, but has now won three Ligue 1 titles in a row.

Mbappé has 36 goals in 40 games this season, with 30 in the league. And, frighteningly, his team-mate Daniel Alves told RMC recently that “he doesn't realise how good he is, he can go much further”.

He is also not used to losing, and may have upset some of his teammates with his assessment of last week's defeat at Lille. “We played like beginners,” he said.

Hollow ring

To be fair, they have usually been exceptional domestically. However, the problem is that as long as they keep failing in the Champions League, domestic success for a club backed by a Gulf state will continue to ring hollow.

The title has effectively been in the bag for some time, but their season has been winding down ever since their exit against Manchester United in the last 16.

That, combined with being knocked out in the League Cup quarter-finals, means Tuchel in his first season has actually done worse than Unai Emery, his unloved predecessor.

Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel has actually done worse than his predecessor, Unai Emery
However, according to sports daily L'Equipe, Tuchel has agreed to extend his contract to 2021. Thoughts have already turned to the future, with new signings needed at the Parc des Princes.

The costly Neymar experiment cannot be said to have succeeded until he stays fit for the games that matter, and there will always be speculation about his future.

“We have a contract, we're not even halfway through that contract,” Neymar's father pointed out to RMC Sport.

Time for a clear-out? 

Mbappé is the one man they really cannot afford to lose, but is it time for a clear-out elsewhere?

Some of the excitement of the early part of the decade has gone, replaced with a staleness. The days of Thiago Silva, Edinson Cavani and Marco Verratti are maybe ending.

Youri Djorkaeff, a World Cup winner for France and a PSG star in the 1990s, offers a frank assessment, suggesting real change is needed higher up.

“If you're not great in every compartment, from the bus driver to the girls who clean the shirts, you will go nowhere,” he told Ligue 1 Podcast, 'Le Beau Jeu'.

“Paris Saint-Germain, after many years without success, have to rebuild everything, restart from scratch, because the foundations are not good. You cannot expect to one day win the Champions League without these foundations.”

The Qatar project needs a breath of fresh air, and all eyes will be on president Nasser al-Khelaifi and sporting director Antero Henrique.

UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules remain a problem, though, with PSG said to have a hole of around 100 million euros and the need to present a balanced budget by the end of June. The next few months will be interesting.

By Andy Scott/AFP

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