Things are going from bad to worse at Paris Saint-Germain as certain players are reportedly growing restless with divides said to be forming in the changing room.
The mood at the Parc des Princes has turned incredibly sour since the Ligue 1 outfit were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid earlier this month. Mauricio Pochettino’s side self-destructed against Los Blancos, meaning that – again – they won’t achieve their top target of lifting the prestigious European trophy.
RMC Sport has reported that two different groups have formed in the squad – one featuring all the South American players with the other being the club's French-speaking contingent.
French journalist Daniel Riolo told After Foot show that right-back Achraf Hakimi is now unhappy at PSG. Riolo said: "Hakimi is going crazy, the South Americans don't talk to him anymore.
"He already wants to leave Paris, he is fed up. In this team, his qualities have never exploded, so maybe you have to give him up. I criticised Hakimi for his fluctuating form, but it must be said that in this team he struggles to express his qualities.
"He is angry and that's normal, he can't take it anymore." The Moroccan defender signed for PSG last year from Inter Milan in a deal worth £60million, and there will certainly be top European clubs eying up the fullback. The 23-year-old was in flying form for Inter last season, scoring seven and assisting eight in an attacking-minded role. However, the former Borussia Dortmund star has failed to replicate those figures in the Ligue 1.
Hakimi has scored three and assisted four in 23 appearances, though questions have been raised over his performances and also of why Pochettino can’t get the very best out of the fullback. His reported discontent could start a flurry of players declaring that they are unhappy at PSG, and it could leave the higher powers at the club weighing up whether they should invest in the playing squad once again.
They have been linked with adding a lot of attacking players to their ranks in the summer, potentially to try and soften the blow of losing Kylian Mbappe on a free transfer when his contract expires. Wolves’ Pedro Neto is of interest to the French side according to the Daily Mail and the ckub are keeping tabs on the Portuguese winger as he returns to full match fitness after a significant injury.
They also report that Ousmane Dembele remains of interest after the club failed to reach an agreement with Barcelona for the French winger that would ‘fit into the FFP guidelines’. The former Dortmund forward is out of contract at the Camp Nou at the end of the season and is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal, though manager Xavi has spoken publicly about how he wants Dembele to remain at the club and that he remains an important member of the squad.
