PSG out of chase for Fabinho

PSG’s hopes of signing Monaco midfielder Fabinho have ended, according to French newspaper L’Equipe. It comes after PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi met with Monaco vice-president Vadim Vasilyew.

The 23-year-old, who won the Ligue 1 title with the Monegasques last season, had been linked with a move to the Parc des Princes for a fee in the region of £40 million. Monaco, however, are unwilling to sell to their domestic rivals, and are keen to hold on to their key players, having already seen Bernardo Silva and Valere Germain leave the club while Tiemoue Bakayoko, Benjamin Mendy, and Kylian Mbappe have been linked with moves abroad.

Manchester United have also been associated with a move for the Brazilian, but that appears to have cooled in favour of Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic. Fabinho was a key figure for Monaco last season, appearing 33 times in their title-winning campaign, managing five goals, as well as scoring three goals in 12 Champions League games, as the French side progressed to the semi-finals.

Monaco have already spent big in strengthening their squad with no few than six players, including Youri Tielemens from Anderlecht, Terence Kongolo from Feyenoord and Diego Benaglio from Wolfsburg. Fabinho now looks set to rejoin his team-mates for pre-season, as Monaco look to defend their first title after 17 years.