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What's the story?
According to Le Parisien, Paris Saint-Germain are close to concluding a deal for Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye, for a fee of around €30 million plus bonuses.
The Senegal midfielder has long been linked with the French champions, and it looks like PSG will finally land their man this summer.
In case you didn't know...
The 29-year-old first broke into the spotlight when he became a first team regular for Lille in Ligue 1, making 134 appearances for them across 5 seasons.
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He signed for Aston Villa in 2015 for just £9 million, playing 35 matches in his debut Premier League season. Unfortunately, he couldn't stop his team from getting relegated, allowing Everton to snap him up for a bargain £7.1 million the next year.
At Goodison Park over the last 3 seasons, Gueye has earned a reputation for being one of the best defensive midfielders in England. He regularly averages one of the highest numbers of tackles and interceptions in the league, and has become a core part of the Toffees' midfield.
He was linked with PSG in January as well, when French midfielder Adrien Rabiot was incessantly being linked with a move. However, nothing materialised, and Gueye was voted Everton's Player's Player of the Year along with Lucas Digne.
The heart of the matter
With Rabiot having finally left for Juventus, PSG are keen on improving their central midfield options.
Ander Herrera has already been signed on a free transfer from Manchester United. Gueye will link up with the Spaniard and Marco Veratti, in what will be one of the most energetic and combative midfields in Europe.
With Leandro Paredes having also signed from Zenit in January, Thomas Tuchel will be hoping that he finally has a team that can stack up against Europe's elite, and help them progress further in the Champions League.
What's next?
Gueye has just completed his African Cup of Nations campaign with Senegal in Egypt, which ended in a disappointing 1-0 loss to Algeria in the final.
If his transfer is wrapped up quickly, he might even be available for PSG's opening pre-season friendly against Inter Milan next week.
