Paris Saint-Germain's summer transfer campaign has not even kicked off yet, but already the French champions are facing a potentially difficult off-season. Of coach Laurent Blanc's three regular starting midfielders, only one -- Blaise Matuidi -- looks certain to stay, while transfer speculation surrounds four other members of the capital club's midfield.
Marco Verratti is rapidly becoming the star attraction at the Parc des Princes, but Spanish reports have suggested that the pint-sized Italian wants to leave PSG for Real Madrid or Barcelona -- despite the Azzurri gem's agent calling the player "unsellable" just two months ago.
Verratti's midfield partner in crime, Thiago Motta, is another who has been linked with a move away from Paris this summer. However, the speculation surrounding the Italy international appears to have more substance to it than that concerning his younger compatriot.
Spanish media outlets have linked Motta with a return to Atletico Madrid, whom he played for during an injury-hit 2007-08 season, with the 32-year-old's agent Alessandro Canovi admitting to RMC Radio that talks over a new contract with PSG have broken down.
Despite the news about Motta's unhappiness at the club -- something that could ultimately create a regular starting role in Blanc's team for son Adrien -- Veronique Rabiot has taken the opportunity to bleat about her and her son's dissatisfaction at the club.
The 20-year-old's mother and agent revealed that she has requested a transfer and appears intent on making life difficult for the PSG hierarchy once again. This comes less than a year after an embarrassing saga at the start of last season that meant Rabiot was frozen out ofles Parisiens' first team until November because of the pair's refusal to sign a new contract as they tried to force a move.
All of that adds to the situation that many expected long before the end of last season, which is that France international Yohan Cabaye needs to leave the French giants in order to salvage his chances of featuring in France's squad for the 2016 European Championship on home soil.
The 29-year-old has already admitted that he is open to a move away from PSG before the start of next term, and it does not seem as if anyone will stand in the former Lille and Newcastle United man's way.
Cabaye is the only player out of the quartet mentioned that the capital club would gladly allow to move on.
It is difficult to see the sales of Motta or Rabiot being sanctioned happily by the PSG hierarchy, despite their respective situations, while there is a greater chance of hell freezing over than Verratti's departure this summer. In reality, only one of Motta or Rabiot -- at best -- will leave the Parc des Princes before the start of next season, and the chances are that both will be forced to honour the remainder of their contracts.
Motta's desire to leave PSG is curious. The Italian is a regular in Blanc's starting XI and one of the club's "leaders" on the pitch. However, since the World Cup in Brazil last summer, there have been whispers about his unhappiness at the new contract negotiated for him by his agent that ties him to les Parisiens until 2016.
It appears that Motta's real problem lies in the fact that he feels he deserves more money and PSG, rightly, are not prepared to pay the Azzurristart any extra than they already do. Had this been the end of the 2013-14 season, when Motta was exceptional on the pitch as the club celebrated a Ligue 1 and Coupe de la Ligue double, then the midfielder probably would have been justifiably handed a new deal.
However, the PSG No. 8 was not as influential last term and is not in the strongest of bargaining positions now. Motta was never likely to stay past 2016 anyway, so forcing the player to fulfil his final 12 months of contract before allowing him to leave for nothing would represent the best business decision for the French champions in these financial fair play-dictated times.
As for Rabiot, there are a growing number of fans who now want to see the talented youngster sold and the drama of his existence at the club finished for good. There is no doubting that the 20-year-old is an excellent prospect and as a homegrown player, he is of almost unique importance to PSG. However, there comes a time when enough is enough and the Adrien-Veronique double act is becoming extremely tiresome.
On top of that, the player appears to have learned nothing from being frozen out of the first-team picture while his new contract was thrashed out, as his exclusion from PSG's Coupe de France-winning squad after arriving late for the team's departure the day before the final last month demonstrated.
Motta's potential departure could pave the way for Rabiot to earn himself a regular spot in Blanc's starting XI, considering that the young Frenchman is ahead of elder compatriot Cabaye in the pecking order. There is no guarantee though that this will be enough for mother Veronique, who seems intent on forcing her son out of the club for reasons that are not necessarily football-related.
In an ideal world, PSG would like to sell Cabaye and use to proceeds to fund a new signing in attack, while keeping both Motta and Rabiot. However, if both continue to push for an unreasonable pay rise or a move away, there might come a point where the Ligue 1 champions cave in and let one of the two -- likely the elder -- leave.
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