Matteo Guendouzi is widely believed to be on the way out and several teams are interested in the French player. Among the notable teams who have shown interest in the 21-year-old player include Barcelona, Juventus and Villareal. Now, a fourth team has joined the fray with Paris Saint-Germain believed to be exploring options with the disgruntled midfielder.
PSG has expressed interest in Guendouzi according to football.london. The club has been keeping tabs of Guendouzi's status ever since he left the academy in 2014. Les Parisiens wanted to make a move for the French player but Arsenal F.C. beat them to him. And a notable person who facilitated that transfer is former Gunners boss Unai Emery.
The interest expands options for the French player who has not played a single minute since the football restart. Guendouzi got himself into trouble when he jawed with Neal Maupay of Brighton. That included Guendouzi lashing out at Maupay, boating that he earned more than any of the players in Brighton. That irked Mikel Arteta, stressing that it was not the kind of culture he was trying to establish at Emirates Stadium.
Arteta gave Guendouzi chances to redeem himself, challenging the French national to align with the rebuilding program of the Gunners. Unfortunately, nothing has progressed and it appears Guendouzi prefers to move to another club. The 21-year-old has already informed Gunners management of his plans to move to another team in the summer.
Initially, it seemed that Guendouzi will have a rough time finding a new home. His attitude is textbook and there was the belief that clubs did not want a head case in the mix. Surprisingly, several clubs expressed interest. But of the clubs mentioned earlier, it appears Villareal is in the lead mainly because of Emery.
Emery is the same guy who brought in Guendouzi to Arsenal from Lorient. The French player got a lot of playing time under Emery and such could happen again next season. However, there is nothing official at the moment, meaning all clubs have opportunities. The latest update on the chase for Guendouzi is that the Gunners are seeking roughly $52 million for the French player.
Arsenal had originally planned to trade Guendouzi to Atletico Madrid as part of a package for Thomas Partey. Unfortunately, Los Indios was not interested in player swaps and preferred a straight cash deal. Should a Guendouzi deal fall through, the proceeds could be part of the funds needed to take in the Ghanaian football player.
