Is Club Chief Taking Swipe at Messi, Neymar? PSG President Lauds New Direction

Paris Saint-Germain made drastic changes this summer transfer window. The capital club opted to let Lionel Messi walk as a free agent to Inter Miami and then sold Neymar Jr. for a reported €90 million to Al-Hilal.

Afterward, the capital club kept Kylian Mbappé to build the project around him by adding players such as Ousmane Dembélé and Randal Kolo Muani, who have experience playing with the 24-year-old on the French national team.

Speaking to Record, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi seemed to take a modest dig at Messi and Neymar as he celebrated a new era at the club.

“Kylian Mbappe is an incredible player and a fantastic person,” Al-Khelaifi said (h/t The Mirror). “And the Paris Saint-Germain team, on and off the pitch, has never been so united, which I think was possible to see last weekend, during the game against Lyon.

“This year, in the new Paris Saint-Germain cycle, we are focusing less on results and more on performance and our style of play. If we do that, the results will appear accordingly. We have a fantastic coach and sporting director and I’m very happy with the spirit found at PSG.”

Going for the expensive superstars has yet to work out. Additionally, the Ligue 1 giants have lost that French identity, which explains the arrival of quality players from France. 

Will this all work out? It remains to be seen. Regardless, PSG wants to try something new and convince the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner to stick around and sign an extension.