PSG completes the sale of Xavi Simons to RB Leipzig

(Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

When Xavi Simons joined PSG out of La Masia in 2019 at just 16 years old, he was supposed to follow in the line of Angel Di Maria, Neymar Jr, and Kylian Mbappe as the superstar wingers in Paris.

However, his first stint with the club never truly worked out. He only played 11 matches with the club, and his most notable moment was, unfortunately, missing a penalty against OCG Nice to knock PSG out of the Coupe de France in the 21/22 season.

After that season, he left PSG on a free transfer to join PSV Eindhoven. He had a strong season, being the second-top scorer in the league and leading PSV to a second-place finish and Champions League birth.

PSG then decided to activate his 6 million buyback clause the next summer before he was promptly loaned to RB Leipzig.

With Kylian Mbappe departing, Simons looked sure to be the replacement for the French superstar and potentially the heir to the #7 shirt.

However, reports emerged that he and Luis Enrique didn’t agree on the Dutchman’s role in the squad, leading to another loan spell at Leipzig.

Now, after 18 months in Germany, PSG has finally found a permanent solution.


Xavi Simons to join RB Leipzig on a permanent deal

This morning, the two clubs announced that they had agreed to a permanent transfer for Simons to stay in Germany.

While the two clubs have not officially disclosed the fee, reports suggest that it will be around 50 million up front, with performance-based incentives that shouldn’t be very difficult to hit that could bring the deal up to 80 million.

PSG will also receive a part of the future fee if Leipzig were to sell Simons.

What is unusual about this deal is the length of Simons’ contract. He is only signing in Leipzig until the end of 2027, which is when his contract was set to end with PSG. This implies that Simons might not have much more time with them and that they are only doing this so they can control the eventual sale.

This deal makes sense from a PSG perspective because, with Simons no longer loaned, they are free to loan an additional player, which will allow Milan Skriniar to join Fenerbache.


What does this deal mean for PSG?

While Simons is a great player, the signs of him never actually playing in Paris again have been visible for a while.

He and Luis Enrique did not see eye-to-eye over the summer about Simons’ role, with the player expecting to be a consistent starter while the manager was unable to guarantee that.

This led to him going back to Leipzig on loan for another year, and the final nail in the coffin for any hope of Simons returning to Paris was the arrival of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

While having depth at the winger is important for PSG, considering they play with a winger as their false nine, there was just not enough space for Simons to get consistent game time.

Ousmane Dembele and Kvaratskhelia are clear starters, and Bradley Barcola’s standout performances this year mean Simons would be at best fourth in the winger hierarchy.

With Desire Doue’s recent jump in play, Simons would have to fight with him for being the first man off the bench instead of getting to start every match.

This sale essentially funds Kvaratskhelia’s transfer, and that is a very solid business for PSG to get that fee for a player who never played a game with the club after returning.

As mentioned above, PSG is going to receive part of the fee if Leipzig sells Simons, which seemingly will happen this summer.

Kvaratskhelia’s arrival likely seals up the need for any big moves in the attack, but getting a large fee for Simons allows them to focus on making a splash move to help add the final pieces to what is showing to be a very strong project.