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Blaise Matuidi - Balancing the books
Several reasons can be put forth for PSG selling Matuidi to Juventus for £18 million. The 30-year-old is third in the pecking order in midfield with Adrien Rabiot and Marco Verratti ahead of him. The Frenchman has only one year remaining on his contract and his age meant a transfer made sense.
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Moreover, Neymar's arrival made the decision to offload Matuidi easier for PSG who did not hesitate or haggle with Juventus regarding a transfer fee. Thus, Juventus obtained an experienced midfielder on the cheap in today's market.
The Frenchman spent a fruitful six years in Paris and will relish the opportunity to continue competing at a top level with Juventus. In fact, PSG might face him in the latter stages of the Champions League if both teams progress.
The only sticking point for PSG is that they failed to get in Fabinho from Monaco or Jean Seri from OGC Nice, leaving them a little light in midfield. Further, the capital club could have got a better deal given several clubs would have loved to acquire Matuidi's services.
Grade - 6.5/10
