With 13 games and three goals scored this season in the first team, just 17 years old, Tanguy Kouassi has attracted the attention of all of Europe. And as its rating went up, Parisian leaders got cold sweats, doubting more and more their ability to be able to register the signing of the first professional contract of the Titi born in the 14th district of the capital.
This winter, Leipzig was particularly confident about its ability to win the bet, which its agents formally denied at the time to the clubs with which they discussed. They are extremely numerous to have knocked on the door to know the value and the intentions of the defender or midfielder whose intern contract expires on June 30.
Tanguy Kouassi first stayed away from all the uproar surrounding it, while his agents visited the four corners of Europe to meet potential buyers. At the same time, they have multiplied the meetings with Leonardo, the Parisian sports director. The latter is sometimes annoyed with the way in which the transfer system places the training clubs in a weak position at this crucial moment.
"We did everything for these players"
When the final decision is made, the ball is in the court of Tanguy Kouassi. Leipzig and AC Milan, the two most frequently cited clubs, would no longer be in the race. According to several relatives, his wish is to stay in Paris. Charge his clan to finalize discussions with Leonardo.
If relations are good, Kouassi would like sports guarantees in the medium term, which is difficult in a club which aims for the Champions League, and while French regulations limit the duration of the first pro contract to three years. If negotiations failed, the player would have sorted through the different projects and selected two or three clubs of very large European scope.
PSG and its players have invested to seduce the boy of 1.87 m of his importance in the project. "We did everything for these players," said Leonardo on January 19, referring to Kouassi and Aouchiche. Now the decision is in their hands. Three days later, during his first goal with the pros against Reims, in the League Cup, Kouassi had been the subject of all respects by Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappé, who had prompted him to s 'engage, or Thomas Tuchel. After having maintained his jersey for a long time with an anonymous flocking and the number 33, PSG had finally granted him a nominal tunic in March against Dortmund: "Nianzou", his middle name, and number 35.
A game of poker
You have to be careful about the outcome of this long game of poker, but the player's penchant for the club of his heart, clearly expressed around him, is an important step.
The situation could settle down in the coming days. From Sunday, the day of majority for Parisians, their agents will be allowed to receive a commission, which is prohibited for the transfer or signing of a minor's contract.
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If the trend is confirmed, the PSG will in any case secure one of its greatest hopes and sent (finally) a positive signal from the side of its training center.