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Chelsea, Barcelona, Bayern Munich 'all failed with moves for Marco Verratti'

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 10 September 2023

Chelsea, Barca, Bayern 'all failed with moves for Verratti'

Chelsea, Barcelona and Bayern Munich all failed with late loan moves for Paris Saint-Germain's Marco Verratti, according to a report.

Chelsea, Barcelona and Bayern Munich reportedly all attempted to sign Marco Verratti on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in the closing stages of the European transfer window.

The 30-year-old's time in the French capital is on the verge of coming to an end, with Qatari outfit Al Arabi expected to officially confirm his signature over the next 24 hours.

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, PSG will receive a €45m (£38.7m) fee for the Italian, with the capital outfit determined to sell him rather than sanction a loan move.

Verratti is expected to travel to Doha in the coming hours ahead of signing a lucrative deal with Al Arabi, who have allegedly been pushing for his signature over the last few months.

The midfielder, though, was reportedly the subject of loan interest from three major European clubs ahead of the transfer deadline at the start of September.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)'s Marco Verratti during the warm up before the match in February 2022 © Reuters

According to L'Equipe, Chelsea, Barcelona and Bayern all made loan offers for Verratti before the transfer window closed.

However, PSG made it clear that they were not prepared to let him leave on a temporary basis, with the club looking to bank a healthy transfer fee for the central midfielder.

Verratti's existing deal with the Paris giants is due to run until June 2026, so a loan move would have seen him return to the French champions next summer, still with two years left on his deal.

The Italian has been a vital player for PSG since arriving from Pescara in 2012, representing the club on 416 occasions in all competitions, scoring 11 goals and registering 61 assists in the process.

Marco Verratti in action for Paris Saint-Germain on October 11, 2022 © Reuters

Verratti was deemed surplus to requirements by Luis Enrique upon his arrival as head coach, though, and his time with the Paris giants will soon officially come to an end.

Manchester United were also linked with the midfielder in the closing stages of the market.

However, the Red Devils ultimately focused on Sofyan Amrabat, with the Morocco international arriving on loan from Fiorentina in the closing hours of the transfer window.

Bayern were close to bringing in Joao Palhinha from Fulham on deadline day, with head coach Thomas Tuchel desperate to sign a defensive midfielder.

However, Fulham pulled the plug on a deal in the final minutes, with the Cottagers unable to secure a replacement for the Portugal international, allegedly failing with a late move for Man United's Scott McTominay.