Very close to returning to the field with Leipzig after a long absence, Xavi Simons is also talking about his future, with the possibility of a return to Barcelona appearing.
Hit in the ankle against Liverpool in October, Xavi Simons ultimately failed to return to competition before the German winter break but the 21-year-old Dutchman sees the end of the tunnel and will be able to return to the field in January. It will always be under the colors of RB Leipzig since an early end of loan is absolutely not on the cards. But Simons' future after the current season will probably not be written in Leipzig, despite the club's clear desire to keep him.
A sale at at least 80M mentioned again
The Athletic recently discussed the player's future and those close to the matter expect to see a transfer next summer, even if PSG and Luis Enrique have not said their last word and have a contract for them which runs until June 2027. But two years from the end of it, the market value of the player will be at its peak and Paris can hope to make an excellent financial transaction since a sale is estimated at 80 million euros at a minimum.
But the Anglo-Saxon media also specified that a transfer was rather expected with two possible destinations, the Premier League or La Liga, even if we should not exclude Bayern from the equation given that sporting director Max Eberl is a big fan of Xavi Simons and already behind his coming to Leipzig. If the case of the Germans is a little different, in particular because it is linked to the Florian Wirtz file, practically all the big European clubs would be on the lookout.
Already mentioned in the past, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United are still interested while Real Madrid are also mentioned, which is new. But FC Barcelona, where Xavi Simons played for 9 years before joining PSG in 2019, would also be on the list of interested clubs. Last summer, the Catalans tried to get him back on loan, without success.
Why the Barça track stands out
The Barça track is also being revived by the Catalan press today due to another element: the player's agent. For several years, Simons has no longer been represented by Mino Raiola and his successors but by Darren Dein, son of the former Arsenal president for 25 years David Dein. However, Darren Dein has for several months been one of the close friends of Joan Laporta, the truculent president of Barça.
A sign that Darren Dein has become someone who carries weight in Catalonia, it was he who served as intermediary between the club and Nike for the renewal of the equipment supplier contract between the two parties while negotiations had been blocked for months . By unblocking the situation, he allowed Barça to recover a very large sum. And he therefore fully joins the court of agents close to Laporta like Jorge Mendes and Pini Zahavi. Two famous agents who already have several players in the Catalan squad, unlike Darren Dein.
Between the historical link of Xavi Simons with Barça and the current one of his agent with the management in place, this therefore provides several clues in favor of a possible return to Catalonia. But it is PSG which has the hand in this matter, given that it is with the capital club that Simons is under contract until 2027. And there is no indication that Paris will make the slightest gift to Barça given the relations between the two clubs.
