Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye is still hopeful of a “dream” move to Paris Saint-Germain despite rejected offers in the January transfer window.
The Parisians made multiple bids to sign Gueye last month but their advances were knocked back by the Toffees, though Gueye remains optimistic a move will come to fruition this summer.
Is Gueye good enough for PSG? Five key things to know…
- PSG made two bids to sign Gueye from Everton in January.
- The highest was reportedly worth £26m.
- It was also claimed Marco Silva threatened to resign if Everton accepted PSG’s bid.
- Gueye has the best record for tackles per 90 minutes in the Premier League (4.6).
- He has also made the most interceptions (52) at Everton in the English top flight this season.
Thomas Tuchel made no secret of his desire to sign a midfielder and quickly identified Gueye as his primary target, but having failed in his efforts, signed Leandro Paredes.
The Senegal international was “honoured” by the interest and hopes his current employers will change their stance come the summer.
“It is a dream that sadly did not come true. Every player works to join the best teams, to play in such matches in the Champions League,” he told L’Equipe.
“But I was honoured that PSG were interested in me. Now, I know that I am of interest to that type of club, that I am ready to go to the final level to join a top European club. I am going to work even more so that they come back for me. Maybe it is not finished with PSG.
“I was ready for PSG, so I am disappointed, but I also see that the work pays off. I grew up at the academy at Diambars in Senegal, I came to Lille, then I went to the Premier League with Aston Villa. Then, a notch above to Everton. All of this is linear. I built myself, PSG embodied the last great step that I’m missing.”
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Gueye went on to reveal how he even held discussions with Tuchel and subsequently tried everything in his power to persuade Everton to allow him to leave.
He added: “There was an information session with my entourage at the end of 2018. The contacts accelerated when the transfer window opened.
“PSG asked my agents to find out how I could get out, but Everton put the brakes on immediately, they did not want to sell me.
“I pushed, I met the club leaders to tell them of my desire to go to PSG. It was a golden opportunity, a huge challenge not to be missed at 29 years old. PSG came back to me and then Thomas Tuchel called me.”
“I could get them nearly four times as much back”
Following Aston Villa’s relegation from the Premier League in 2016, the Toffees signed Gueye for £7.1m, and the enforcer has since established himself as one of the league’s best defensive midfielders.
As such, Gueye believes he has repaid the faith shown in him by the club and that Everton should accept an offer that would ultimately quadruple the initial fee they paid for him.
He added: “There were two [bids], the last one just at the end of the transfer window. I put the pressure back on Everton, I told them again that I wanted to go, it was also a very good offer, Everton bought me for £7m from Aston Villa in August 2016. Two and a half years later, I could get them nearly four times as much back.
“I could certainly come back to France, my second country after Senegal. Part of my family lives there, I have a lot of friends too.”
The post Top Premier League tackler hoping Everton won’t block his next chance to join PSG appeared first on Squawka News.
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