Barcelona, Man City monitoring 20-year-old PSG prodigy shining on loan in Germany

Players from Barcelona’s La Masia academy have been rewarded with regular opportunities in the first team in recent years. However, that was not the case even four years ago in the Catalan capital.

Barcelona thus lost some of their big young talents early in their development. Xavi Simons was one such star who moved to Paris Saint Germain in 2019 for a better monetary package.

Barcelona still keeping tabs on Xavi Simons

But as per reports relayed by SPORT,  Barcelona are still in the equation on the Xavi Simons race. The young winger is currently on loan at RB Leipzig from PSG and is impressing in Germany.

Barcelona are not alone in monitoring Simons though, with Manchester City also maintaining close tabs on the starlet.

The report, however, brings out some disappointing news for the Barcelona administration. SPORT reveals that PSG are impressed by Simons’ high quality and have decided to count on him in the coming years.

They believe that the experience of playing in Germany will help him hone his skills and hope that Simons will be ready to play with the first team by the 2024-25 campaign. 

A sale to Barcelona or Manchester City is thus likely ruled out. In fact, the Parisiens will likely not listen to any offers even from RB Leipzig who are currently nurturing the player.

Shining after a subpar start

Simons was one of the most highly rated young prospects at the time of his departure, and many expected him to regularly brush shoulders with the senior PSG squad given his quality.

However, he featured in just 11 games for the French giants and soon left for PSV Eindhoven on a free transfer. 

In the following season, he scored 22 goals and provided 12 assists in just 48 games for the Dutch giants and prompted PSG to sign him once more.

He is currently on loan in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig and has made a fine start to life in Germany, registering three goals and four assists from nine matches so far.

Links to Barcelona have persisted in the past as well, but nothing came of it. And while both the Blaugrana and Man City are monitoring him, PSG are unlikely to entertain any offers for him in the near future.