Paris Saint-Germain have joined the race to sign Corinthians midfielder Gabriel Moscardo, according to ESPN sources.
According to the sources, the French team’s director of football, LuÃs Campos, is traveling to Brazil to monitor the player in situ.
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Campos is expected at the Neo QuÃmica Arena in São Paolo next Saturday, Dec. 2, when Corinthians face Internacional in the Brasileirão.
There is still no formal offer from PSG for Moscardo, however sources note that the French team’s interest is serious — with Campos’ trip to Brazil demonstrating PSG’s intention to ramp up their advances as the director only travels when negotiations for a player are serious.
People involved in the talks point out that the Ligue 1 leaders are the most interested club in Moscardo at the moment, and are in need of midfield options.
According to sources, the only European club to make an official offer for Moscardo up to this point has been Premier League side Chelsea, but the Corinthians board rejected their bid of around $22m.
Given Chelsea’s recent spending on Moisés Caicedo and Romeo Lavia in the midfield department, there are doubts as to whether they will continue to pursue Moscardo.
Corinthians are waiting to receive an offer of around €30 million ($32.9m) before proceeding with sale talks.
Before Moscardo turned professional, Barcelona also showed interest in the player but talks did not go ahead.
Other big teams in Europe, such as Arsenal, Manchester United and Atlético Madrid, also made enquiries about the Corinthians player but did not make offers.
Promoted to the professional first team this season, Moscardo has made 23 appearances for Corinthians so far without registering any goals or assists.
He may start against Vasco de Gama on Tuesday in an important match in Brazil’s top tier.
