PSG not in hurry to renew deals, stars may walk free

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - French football powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are likely to stall contract talks with club players over an interruption caused by the novel coronavirus, but some may be free at the end of this season.

Defenders Thomas Meunier, Layvin Kurzawa, Thiago Silva, Tanguy Kouassi and forward Edinson Cavani are set to be free at the end of the 2019-2020 football season unless they renew their respective contracts.

The PSG quintet's possible departure in the summer of 2020 may hurt this club's defensive line.

Belgian Meunier, 28, has been playing as right back and has become a team regular after he arrived in 2016.

The former Club Brugge player made 128 appearances and tallied 13 goals and 21 assists for PSG.

He helped Paris win two French Ligue 1 titles in 2018 and 2019.

Meunier is also a 2018 FIFA World Cup bronze medalist as he contributed to Belgium's first World Cup medal.

Belgium beat England 2-0 to come third in Russia 2018 with Meunier scoring the opener.

- Defender Kurzawa set for exit

Kurzawa, 27, is a versatile member for a team, who can play in every position in the left flank.

The French left back made his way to Paris from Monaco in 2015.

In his five-year spell at PSG, Kurzawa scored 13 goals and produced 21 assists in 123 appearances.

Kurzawa became the French champion in 2016, 2018 and 2019.

- PSG captain's deal running out

Silva, a true PSG veteran, joined the club in 2012.

The Brazilian center back had 310 appearances in which he netted 17 goals in eight years.

Now 35, Silva pledged the majority of his career to Paris Saint-Germain and received the fruits of his work to become the team's captain.

However, his days in Paris may be numbered yet, unless the French club acts fast to prolong his deal.

An ex-AC Milan defender, Silva won the French league title six times and has been one of the integral parts of the team since his arrival.

- Youth Kouassi can walk free

Kouassi is one of the distinguished youngsters in the Paris Saint-Germain squad as the 17-year-old was promoted to the club's senior team in 2019.

The France U-18 player, Kouassi is an athlete that PSG is investing in for the future. He made 13 appearances this season.

The PSG kid has scored three goals on the senior team so far.

- PSG icon Cavani may end 7-year spell

Similar to Silva, Uruguayan star Cavani is a Paris Saint-Germain veteran, moving to the French club from Italy's Napoli in 2013.

He helped PSG win five French league titles.

However, Cavani, 33, became popular in Italy as a player in Palermo and Napoli.

Paris Saint-Germain paid a €64.5-million (approximately $84.5 million) transfer fee for Napoli to sign Cavani as a Qatari takeover pumped money into the club to acquire star players for a powerful team for the European campaign.

The Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) purchased the French club in 2011, kicking off a long-term project to win Europe's top-tier UEFA Champions League title.

Separately Cavani is Paris Saint-Germain's all-time top scorer with 200 goals, a difficult record to break.

The Uruguayan goal machine had 301 appearances in seven years at PSG.

However, Cavani's future in Paris is uncertain.

Paris Saint-Germain will keep all these players at Parc des Princes until the end of this season on June 30, 2020.

- FIFA's exceptional regulation for expiring contracts

In April, the governing body of world football FIFA said that expiring agreements between football players and their respective clubs would remain valid until the season's new end date, as the 2019-2020 fixtures were still on hold due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

"Therefore, it is proposed that contracts be extended until such time that the season does actually end," FIFA, which is tasked with protecting the proper functioning of contests, said in an online statement.

COVID-19 has disrupted sports events, including football, around the world.

In March, the virus forced national football leagues and international competitions to suspend fixtures until further notice, which may push the resumption of divisions to Summer 2020.

French Ligue 1 Conforama and Domino's Ligue 2 (a lower division) were suspended on March 13 due to the virus until further notice.