22 June 2023 , 12:21
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Lionel Messi warned Barcelona not to re-sign his former teammate Xavi Simons – with Manchester United among the interested clubs in the PSV Eindhoven player.
It has been reported that the Dutch international will be offered to Arsenal this summer. Paris Saint-Germain have an option to re-sign Simons for a €6million clause which is only active in July, but it is unclear if the player wants to return to the French capital.
Simons turned down the option of extending his contract at PSG – whom he had previously joined from Barca – a year ago to move to Eindhoven, where he has shown signs of fulfilling his immense early potential.
It is outlined in L’Equipe that a move back to PSG is far from a formality for a player who, with 19 league goals, was the joint top scorer in the Eredivisie last season. United, Arsenal and Tottenham are among a host of English clubs monitoring the player’s situation.
There are no shortage of admirers for Simons, with Barca among those who had been weighing up a potential move for the player. However, the Catalan club’s precarious financial situation has made any return unlikely.
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Messi played alongside Simons at Paris Saint-Germain for the 2021/22 campaign before the Dutchman left the club to join PSV Eindhoven last summer. The 20-year-old impressed in the 2022/23 campaign as he has bagged 19 goals and provided nine assists for the Dutch club.
Xavi Simons impressed for PSV against Arsenal in the Europa League group stage (ANP via Getty Images)Have Your Say! Would Simons be a good signing for a Premier League club? Tell us what you think here.
The 20-year-old can play as a midfielder or a wide forward and already has five caps for the Netherlands. He impressed for PSV in their Europa League group stage matches against Arsenal last season, with the Dutch side winning 2-0 in Eindhoven back in October.
Catalan media outlet El Nacional reported that during a trip to Barcelona a year ago, Messi met up with Xavi to discuss many issues. One of the topics that came up was that of Xavi Simons – who graduated through the Catalan club’s La Masia youth system.
That was when the then-teenager was a teammate of Messi at the Parc des Princes, where he moved from Barcelona in 2021. He was largely a bit-part player in the French capital but did establish himself at Under-21 level for the Netherlands.
The son of Dutch former footballer Regillio Simons then left PSG that summer when his contract expired and a return to the Camp Nou had been suggested. However, he ended up joining PSV in the Eredivisie for first-team opportunities.