As the latest clubs to succumb to the financial might of Saudi Arabian clubs, Chelsea and Liverpool are expected to miss out on the acquisition of Marco Verratti. The PSG midfielder was allegedly a target for Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino this summer as both managers looked to upgrade the calibre of their midfield options. However, they are about to miss out in the competition to recruit the elite player.
Verratti, a member of the Italy national team with almost 400 PSG games and 55 caps, has been with the Parisian club for 11 years after moving there from Serie B team Pescara.
But he is set to bring an end to his time in the French capital this summer as the club prepare for a major shake-up, including the potential exit of Kylian Mbappe.
Verratti is valued by PSG at somewhere in the neighbourhood of £70 million, and two Premier League clubs are reportedly interested in signing the Italy international. The clubs mentioned in the report included Chelsea and Liverpool, which will not come as a surprise given that Mauricio Pochettino previously claimed that his roster needed to include “at least one midfielder” and more experience.
Following Jordan Henderson’s £13 million move to Al Ettifaq and Fabinho’s ongoing negotiations with Al-Ittihad, Jurgen Klopp is also looking for at least one central midfielder. Both transactions would help him finance his next move after a £40 million approach for Southampton prodigy Romeo Lavia was turned down.
But for both Chelsea and Liverpool, the unavoidable truth is that they cannot compete with the wealth and financial power of the Saudi clubs. It would not make much business sense for them to offer £70m for a player with no resale value, as he turns 31 in November.
The only advantage they hold is the opportunity to stay in Europe and therefore close to home, but Verratti will know he stands a chance of earning enormous wages in the Arabian Gulf. Neither club is playing in the Champions League next season, and it seems the financial benefits may outweigh the sporting ones for the Italian.
