PSG chief Leonardo has told Juventus striker Cristiano Ronaldo to join them in Paris.
Leonardo insists it’s time for Ronaldo make the move.
He said: “It is normal for Cristiano Ronaldo to be associated with PSG.
“We are part of that small circle of clubs that could afford it.
“Even if the situation is complicated for everyone, the market is a question of opportunity, beyond the planning. Sometimes extraordinary things happen. But it was not like that during the last transfer period.“
Paris Saint-Germain manager Thomas Tuchel has given special praise to Ander Herrera after Saturday’s 3-0 win over Rennes in Ligue 1.
PSG were depleted for their match against the side that lay third in the league, with Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Marco Verratti just some of the players out due to injury.
Herrera, though, stepped forward and created a goal for Angel Di Maria, who was widely hailed as the man of the match after finding the net twice. For Tuchel, however, the former Manchester United central midfielder merited singling out.
“Ander was dead before the match,” Tuchel said. “He died in the dressing room tonight. What he did was exceptional. The same for Leandro Paredes.
“We took risks. At the start, we hoped he would play an hour but it was necessary for him to play the whole of the match. We played a really good Rennes teams but we showed a good mentality and a collective effort. It was a great win.”
Manchester United and PSG were on the losing side on Matchday 3, while Juventus were back to winning ways with Ronaldo in the lineup.
Full results:
Shakhtar Donetsk 0-6 Borussia Monchengladbach
Lokomotiv Moscow 1-1 Atletico Madrid
RB Salzburg 2-6 Bayern Munich
Real Madrid 3-2 Inter Milan
Manchester City 2-0 Olympiacos
Porto 3-0 Marseille
Atalanta 0-5 Liverpool
Midtjylland 1-2 Ajax
Zenit 1-1 Lazio
Barcelona 2-1 Dynamo Kyiv
Club Brugge 0-3 Borussia Dortmund
Sevilla 3-2 Krasnodar
Chelsea 3-0 Rennes
PSG coach Thomas Tuchel was blocked from signing Chelsea defender Toni Rudiger over the summer, it has been revealed.
Rudiger had been made available by Chelsea and Tuchel was keen on signing his fellow German.
However, while PSG were well placed to sign Rudiger, the deal eventually fell through – due to sporting director Leonardo’s intervention.
While Tuchel was eager to sign Rudiger after losing Thiago Silva to Chelsea, Leonardo rejected the move.
The Germany defender was one of several players Tuchel had recommended only to be vetoed by his sporting director.
Thomas Tuchel says PSG were at their worst against Manchester United on Tuesday.
Last season’s finalists were outplayed against the visiting Red Devils, who found a deserved late winner through Marcus Rashford.
And Tuchel was left unimpressed by his players when speaking after the game.
“In the first half, we were simply not on the pitch,” Tuchel told beIN SPORTS. “It was not our level.
“I don’t know why, but I can just say that it was not our level, in moving the ball, in possession, in counter-attacking, in challenges, in intensity.
“By far, one of our worst games, one of our worst first halves.
“The good news was that it could not be worse. Okay, we were down 1-0, it is easy to play better in the second half and we had to step up, it was clear,” Tuchel added after star forward Neymar failed to score in four consecutive Champions League appearances for the first time since November 2013.
“We tried to do some tactical changes because of the injury of Idrissa Gueye, we tried to bring on one more offensive guy, which was a risk that we paid for at the end also. It was like this today.
“From the start until the end it felt like we were never at our highest level, and we weren’t really into the match like was absolutely necessary on this level.”
Manchester United got their 2020/2021 UEFA Champions League campaign underway in emphatic style on Tuesday when Marcus Rashford’s late goal earned them a 2-1 victory at Paris St-Germain (PSG).
The result handed the French champions their first group stage home defeat in 16 years.
Rashford netted three minutes from time.
His goal came 18 months after scoring the decisive goal in a 3-1 win at PSG which sent Manchester United into the quarter-finals after a 2-0 first leg home defeat.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United side went ahead in the Group H encounter with a twice-taken Bruno Fernandes first half penalty kick.
Then, Anthony Martial’s own goal after the break gifted PSG the equaliser, before Rashford wrapped up the win with a precise low shot.
It was PSG’s first UEFA Champions League group stage defeat at the Parc des Princes in 25 games, having last lost 3-1 to CSKA Moscow in 2004.
Thomas Tuchel’s side looked nothing like the one which reached the final of last season’s competition as they lacked energy throughout in an empty Parc des Princes.
Paul Pogba surprisingly started on the Manchester United bench while Marquinhos was not included in PSG’s starting 11, having not recovered in time from a groin injury he sustained on Brazil duty.
He was replaced by Abdou Diallo, who fouled Anthony Martial in the box, handing the visitors a penalty which was converted by Fernandes on his second attempt.
Keylor Navas had saved the first kick, but it had to be retaken after the goalkeeper was judged to have moved off his goal line.
It was a poor start from PSG, who had two chances through Angel Di Maria and Layvin Kurzawa, but lacked aggression.
Fernandes went close to doubling Manchester United’s tally six minutes before the break with a thumping right-footed effort which Navas just tipped around the post.
Kylian Mbappe slalomed through the defence before curling a shot towards the top right corner.
But Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea stretched to tip the ball away three minutes into the second half.
Seven minutes later, Martial headed a Neymar corner-kick into his own net, handing PSG an unexpected equaliser.
The home side, who were also without the injured Mauro Icardi and Marco Verratti, started to find spaces in the defence of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side but they could not capitalise.
The visitors pressed harder in the closing stages and deservedly regained the advantage when Rashford beat Navas with a low diagonal shot into the bottom corner from just inside the box.
Manchester United next host RB Leipzig, who beat Basaksehir 2-0, while PSG will travel to Istanbul to face the Turkish side.
Manchester United had been in contact with new signing Edinson Cavani since the New Year, it has been revealed.
Cavani signed on deadline day last Monday as a free agent after coming off contract at PSG in June.
United’s move has been criticised by some inside English football over claims it was a desperate act.
But France Football says contact between the two parties was first established in January, with United’s offer impressing Cavani.
Indeed, it’s claimed Cavani’s decision not to renew with PSG this summer was due to United’s proposal at the beginning of the year.
PSG midfielder Ander Herrera admits he spoke to Edinson Cavani about life at Manchester United.
Cavani signed for United yesterday after coming off contract at PSG in June.
And former United midfielder Herrera told El Larguero: “He asked me for advice.
“I told him it’s one of those teams that you can’t say no to. The pity is that you will not be able to enjoy the fans. Old Trafford is unique.”
And regarding the potential of the Premier League, he commented that “you realise the power it has. You are left speechless with investments like that of Leeds, which is a recently promoted one.”
Edinson Cavani is set to earn €11 million (£10m/$13m) per season at Old Trafford after Manchester United eclipsed Atletico Madrid’s offer to strike an agreement with the ex-Paris Saint-Germain star.
According to Goal, Cavani who has been without a club since leaving PSG upon the expiration of his final contract in June, will sign a one-season deal with the option of a second year with the Red Devils on deadline day.
The 33-year-old could pocket an extra €2m in bonuses at Old Trafford and will receive a €4m premium once the transfer is finalised.
Cavani is at Manchester United’s Carrington training complex ahead of their Deadline Day move to the club.
Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has hit out at his manager Thomas Tuchel, saying he did not appreciate his recent statements urging club management to make signings.
The Ligue 1 champions easily dispatched Angers 6-1 at Parc des Princes on Friday, as Neymar scored a pair of goals and Kylian Mbappe also got on the scoresheet.
Though PSG have now won four straight Ligue 1 matches after losing two in a row to start the season, all is not well in the French capital as Tuchel has been vocal about his demands for reinforcements.
Speaking after the match, Leonardo did not hold back in expressing his unhappiness with Tuchel, saying the German manager could face punishment for his continued public demands.
“We are looking for possibilities [in the transfer market],” Leonardo told reporters.
“I did not like the statement of the coach Tuchel. I don’t understand it and I did not like it. The club did not like it. We will see internally [about a punishment].
“If someone is not happy, we can talk, there is no problem. But If he decides to stay, he must decide to respect the choices of the sports management.
“We’re not here to go to trial … But we have to have the spirit of suffering for the club, the spirit of sacrifice. The important thing is the club. We didn’t like the way [that Tuchel spoke].”