Javier Pastore, the Argentine midfielder who joined Paris Saint-Germain on August 6, 2011, for a fee of €42m at the tender age of 22, has been linked with a number of clubs about a move away from the French giants. Pastore’s signing, which was a record fee paid by a French club back in 2011, signalled PSG’s intent to buy the best players in Europe.
The technically gifted playmaker can play in several positions. His tall, slender build complemented by his work-rate allows him to operate as a winger or a deep-lying midfielder depending on the team’s requirement. The creative midfielder has a knack for not only creating but also scoring goals for club and country.
Pastore, who has gone on to make over 150 appearances at Paris, has failed to cement a regular starting place in his 6-year tenure at the club due to some unfortunate recurring injuries. The 28-year old will now find it difficult to regain a regular starting spot with the likes of Rabiot, Motta and Verratti orchestrating the PSG midfield.
PSG on the other hand, spend close to £200 million in transfers this summer and are likely to list a host of big names on their selling list to balance the books. Hence, rumours spread that Pastore could be one of them. With Pastore himself falling down the pecking order, a move for the Argentine could still be possible in the January window.
The major European clubs interested in signing Pastore are Chelsea and Inter Milan. Chelsea will want to correct their mistakes from the summer transfer window failures and would hope to appease Antonio Conte by trying to bring in new signings like Pastore. Conte’s switch to a 3-5-2 formation this season has left Chelsea short of players in their centre attacking midfield position with Cesc Fabregas the only recognized senior player in that position.
Pastore’s move to Chelsea would have brought some much-needed creativity to The Pensioners. The Blues midfield predominantly consists of powerhouses in the likes of Kante and Bakayoko and lacks the guile and finesse needed to break down certain defences or to hold on the ball to see through matches.
However, latest comments from the player have confirmed that “El Flaco” is not interested in a move away from Paris in January and wants to stay at his current club. His agent had hinted that Pastore, could have played his last game in PSG colours but the player has rubbished such talk and said that he is very calm about the one and half years remaining in his contract. This would mean that Chelsea now would have to look away from a signing that could have been ideal for their squad in terms of both quality and quantity.
