Arsenal and Manchester United are among the European giants interested in PSV star Xavi Simons, but a Paris Saint-Germain buy-back clause makes them the hot favourites to land him this summer.
Simons moved from PSG to PSV last summer and has been in stunning form for the Eredivisie side this term, racking up 22 goals and 12 assists in 48 appearances.
Operating on the wing or in a No.10 position, Simons has pace to burn and shows both flair and imagination through his passing and extraordinary dribbling skill.
Fred Rutton, Ruud van Nistelrooy’s assistant at PSV last season, explained what sets Simons apart.
“He’s really hungry,” Fred Rutten told The Athletic. “He wants to be the best. I remember in the past, big players like Zlatan (Ibrahimovic) and (Cristiano) Ronaldo, what they said at the age of 18-20; they wanted to be the best. That was in their heads. And that’s also in the head of the boy.”
Simons joined Barcelona’s La Masia academy at seven years old before moving to PSG at the age of 16.
Real Madrid inquired about signing him last summer but he was instead snapped up by PSV on a free transfer.
His astonishing form under Van Nistelrooy has predictably led the big boys to circle and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed that ‘Man Utd, Arsenal, Brighton, Spurs, BVB and Leipzig asked to be informed’ of Simons’ situation.
But according to The Athletic, PSG hold the key to Simons, in the form of a buy-back clause that gives them the opportunity to re-sign the 20-year-old for a set fee, believed to be as low as €6million (£5.2m; $6.6m), during the month of July.
However, it’s Simons’ decision to make and as he explained earlier this month, he’s “settled” at PSV and has “no obligations to anyone”.
“It is a clause between me and PSV. Not between me and Paris Saint-Germain,” Simons said. “It’s a clause that, if I wanted to go to PSG, I could leave for a certain amount at the end of the season.
“To be honest, it’s not in my head to leave. I’m settled here; I feel good here. You can also see that on the field, I think. I came here on a free transfer, so I have no obligations to anyone. I’m the one who has to make the choice.”
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