Posted on January 7, 2022 at 5.30 p.m. by Bernard Colas
Free at the end of the season, Lorenzo Insigne will soon leave Napoli and the European continent. The Italian forward will move on to MLS next summer and play for Toronto, as he faced other options. PSG would have tried its luck in this case, with the support of Marco Verratti.
Since the arrival of the Qataris in the capital, PSG have stood out with several XXL transfers with record transfer fees. A strategy that changed during the last summer transfer window, as Leonardo favored the arrival of free players, allowing the Parisian club to limit spending in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis. Georginio Wijnaldum , Sergio Ramos , Gianluigi Donnarumma and Lionel Messi have thus joined PSG , which no he did not have to pay a transfer fee, enough to encourage Leonardo to continue this momentum for next season. PSG has already moved its pawns with some players approaching the end of their contract, like Ousmane Dembélé (FC Barcelona), Antonio Rüdiger (Chelsea) or even Franck Kessié (AC Milan). The situation of Paul Pogba (Manchester United) would also be closely watched by the Parisian decision makers, who would have also tried their luck with Lorenzo Badge . In vain.
Verratti helped Leonardo for Insigne
At 30, Lorenzo Insigne is set to sign the last big contract of his career, now in his last year of contract with Napoli . Several options are open to the European champion, but according to the Italian press, Lorenzo Insigne has decided to join the United States. A definitive agreement has indeed already been reached with Toronto (MLS) for a five-and-a-half-year contract effective from July, allowing the principal concerned to obtain a salary of € 11.5m net per season, plus € 4.5m in bonuses. However, Lorenzo Insigne had the possibility of joining a more ambitious project in Europe, and in particular on the side of Paris Saint-Germain according to the information disclosed by Calciomercato.it. Leonardo wanted to get his hands on the Neapolitan striker and reportedly recently met his agent in the capital to find common ground. A “strong and concrete” interest on the part of PSG , which benefited from a major ally in the person of Marco Verratti , serving mediator in negotiations between the two parties. Finally, Lorenzo Insigne did not see fit to join the French club next season, but Leonardo can be reassured by telling himself that he was not the only one to fail in this file.
Inter, Newcastle… Insigne had a choice
As CalcioMercato.it explains, Inter Milan also tried their luck with Lorenzo Insigne , through its president < strong> Beppe Marotta , just like Newcastle . For his part, Napoli tried to keep his player, open to discussions on condition of keeping his annual salary estimated at € 5M, while the Partenopei boss refused to go beyond 3.6 M €, offering an ideal window of opportunity for Toronto with its offer of 11.5M €. After a long reflection in the company of his relatives and his advisers following the failure of negotiations with Naples , Lorenzo Insigne finally opted for the Canadian track, allowing him to get a hefty salary and to have the assurance of not having to face his club of heart. According to CM.it, the operation should be formalized in the coming hours.