Marco Verratti Not Thinking About Leaving PSG Amid Barcelona, Juventus Rumors
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has ruled out leaving the club, insisting he wants to stay in the French capital to win more trophies. It comes after years of exit speculation, with Barcelona and Juventus among his most prominent suitors.
Barcelona were heavily linked with Verratti in the summer of 2017 and it appeared that the player was keen to go, even prompting his agent to publicly label the diminutive Italian a 'prisoner of the emir' because the Qatar-backed club simply refused to do business.
The Juventus rumors, albeit less substantial, have always refused to go away.
But now Verratti has quashed the idea of leaving PSG at all, declaring at a press conference, via Goal, while on international duty with Italy, "I'm not thinking about changing."
He further explained, "I don't care what the press or a journalist says, whether it's negative or positive. I play for a club, they trust me, and they always show me that.
"I've been [at PSG] for seven years and I've never had a problem with the coach, especially in a team which can make big signings every year. Since Ibra [Zlatan Ibrahimovic] left I've been responsible for more things, I want to keep going and win something important."
Verratti joined PSG from home town club Pescara in the summer of 2012 at the age of just 19. He has since played over 250 games for the Parisian side, winning five Ligue 1 titles in his six full seasons. He is already well on course for a sixth in his seventh, although the Champions League remains the elusive grand prize.
Given that Barcelona have signed Arthur and Philippe Coutinho since failing to land Verratti and Juventus have added Emre Can to an already busting midfield, it could be that both clubs are not actually interested in Verratti anymore.
