Ilya Zabarnyi, the 22-year-old central defender from Bournemouth (contract runs until 2029) and Ukraine, has been announced as one of Paris Saint-Germain’s defensive priorities for the mercato. There is even talk of some progress towards a transfer. L’Equipe reports today that the deal is getting closer, with a replacement already identified in Ligue 1.
“After completing a landmark transfer by selling Spanish neo-international Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid for €62m in early June, the English club is not far off letting go their other central defender, Ukrainian Ilya Zabarnyi, to PSG for a similar sum.
So, the British leaders had to act to recruit in their turn. With this in mind, they made Diakité an absolute priority, seduced by the Lille man’s ability to win his duels, both on the ground and in the air, and to respond to a high level of adversity, particularly in the C1, as he did against Real Madrid, Atlético and Dortmund.”
A strong announcement, with a transfer that could therefore materialize relatively soon. There is at least a certain amount of confidence. But be warned, caution is wise, as there is nothing official yet. Neither the agreement between PSG and Bournemouth, nor the Diakité deal.
So we’ll have to wait a little longer for certainty. Which could take some time, as there’s plenty of time left in this mercato (closing date September 1). For the moment, PSG seems to be giving way to the Club World Cup. Without forgetting to focus on the mercato, of course.
