Ilya Zabarnyi, a 22-year-old central defender from Bournemouth (contract until 2028) and Ukraine, has been announced as a defensive priority for Paris Saint-Germain in the transfer window. There is now talk of an imminent transfer to PSG. L’Equipe today announced a deal is almost complete, at least for around €65 million. This came after coach Luis Enrique became frustrated after negotiations dragged on.
“All this, driven by a coach dissatisfied with not being able to count on his new recruits for the first match.”
“Paris has decided to accelerate. The return to training of Luis Enrique and his squad has had the merit of forcing the Parisian management to intensify the slow negotiations.” All of this, driven by a coach dissatisfied with not being able to count on his new recruits for the first match of the season, against Tottenham next Wednesday in the European Super Cup in Udine.
Paris therefore attempted to finalize the arrival of Ilya Zabarni on Thursday. Bournemouth and PSG held talks and reached an agreement on a fixed transfer fee of €63 million (€60 million + €3 million in solidarity fees paid by Paris, as announced on Wednesday). In the last few hours, the bonuses that will accompany this fixed portion (between €1 and €3 million) remained to be finalized.”
We are always wary of rumors, especially when it comes to the details of club life, as the media likes to spin stories about little things. But coach Luis Enrique was able to indicate to the board that he would like to accelerate as the season approaches quickly.
In any case, all the media are now in agreement that Zabarnyi and Lucas Chevalier (23-year-old goalkeeper for LOSC and the French national team) are very close. It’s time for optimism. But beware, we’ve already seen the media miss the mark on the timing. We can only rejoice with (good) official news. Nothing is certain in the meantime. Especially regarding the price, which varies between 65 and 70 million euros. An expense that shows how much the club believes in Zabarnyi.
