Neymar not on PSG's list of 11 players to sell

Paris Saint-Germain have put eleven players on the transfer list, so far without Brazilian Neymar, although the task of finding a team for them is very complicated, depending on the case, due to the high transfer fees demanded, the high salaries they earn or the few clubs interested in them.

Following the line taken by the new coach Christophe Galtier in his press conference last Tuesday: "You have to reduce the squad. You can't have players who hardly ever play all season. The Parisian board of directors have already started to work on it, according to 'L'Equipe' and 'Le Parisien' on Sunday in almost identical reports.

Following the departure of Brazilian Leonardo as sporting director and the arrival of Luis Campos as sporting advisor, the task of finding departures falls to another Portuguese, Antero Henrique, who was sporting director between 2017 and 2019.

The midfield is the most affected line, with six players who are looking for a way out, and where PSG are being most active in terms of signings (Portuguese midfielder Vitinha has already arrived from Porto, and negotiations are at an advanced stage for his compatriot Renato Sanches from Lille).

A first problem Henrique faces is the high prices that have been asked for some players.

According to 'L'Equipe', Argentine midfielder Leandro Paredes (28 years old and with two years left on his contract) was valued at 35 million euros, which put a stop to Manchester United's interest.

The same happened with Senegalese centre-back Abdou Diallo (26 years old and also with two years remaining), so Tottenham's interest disappeared in favour of the loan of Barcelona's Clement Lenglet.

Other players have been devalued during their time in Paris, such as Dutchman Giorginio Wijnaldum (31 years old and under contract until 2024) and Argentine Mauro Icardi (29 years old and also signed for two more seasons), so it would take "a miracle" for them to leave, acknowledges 'L'Equipe'.

The high price tag for Parisian players is another obstacle, at a time when many European teams are spending less money.

Icardi would be paid around 9.6 million gross per year, while left-back Layvin Kurzawa - 29 years old and barely playing - has a 6 million annual fee for two more seasons.

Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera, who is 33 years old and has two years left on his contract, is expected to earn around 8 million gross, while his German linemate Julian Draxler (also contracted until 2024) is expected to earn around 6.75 million gross.

The Parisian team is hoping that some of the transferable players will be flexible in order to get playing time and have a chance of being called up for the World Cup in Qatar, which starts in November.

Then there is the case of Neymar, who at 30 is not officially transferable. Galtier was full of praise for the Brazilian star striker in his first appearance: "He's a world-class player, one of the best in the world, but we have to find a balance. In any case, he stressed: "I want him to stay.

However, the new Paris coach, known for being tougher than his predecessors, also made it clear that at PSG there is a new sporting leadership that wants to prioritise team spirit over individual interests. "There will be no players above the team," he said, before warning that "if there are players who step out of line, they will be discarded".

'Le Parisien', considered the best source at PSG, stresses that the club have no sporting reproaches towards Neymar, even if his performance has dropped, but non-sporting ones, because he "multiplies misconduct", for example by "frequently" arriving late for training sessions.

"If he does not show a strong desire to change, the door will be open to him even if his transfer would be complex," the newspaper adds. His fee of around 40 million a year and a contract that runs until 2027 will not help in the possible task of finding a destination for him.

Despite the difficulty, 'L'Equipe' recalls that Henrique already proved his efficiency in his previous spell at PSG, when he managed several good transfers, such as those of Gonzalo Guedes to Valencia (40 million euros) and Yuri Berchiche to Athletic Bilbao (24 million).

The other names that would complete the eleven discarded by PSG, according to the sources quoted above, would be Danilo Pereira, Idrissa Gueye, Thilo Kehrer and Junior Dina Ebimbe.