Paris Saint-Germain's Marco Verratti is poised to become the latest player to depart Europe this summer in the exodus to the Middle East, it has been reported.
The Italian international has a contract at the Parc des Princes until the summer of 2026, but was reportedly told earlier this summer that he is surplus to requirements at Luis Enrique's team.
Verratti has been at PSG for more than a decade after moving to Paris from hometown club Pescara in 2012.
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In that time, the 30-year-old has racked up more than 400 appearances for the French side and scored 11 goals, winning the Ligue 1 title nine times as PSG have more or less dominated their nation's top tier, but failed to win the Champions League despite heavy investment.
Verratti also has 55 caps and three goals for Italy, being part of the Euro 2020 winning squad, where England were beaten 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Wembley as the Italians won their second European Championship title.
And after more than a decade in the French capital, it appears that Verratti's time at PSG is close to coming to a conclusion.
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He is poised to become the latest high profile player to leave Europe and as part of an exodus to the Middle East which has seen dozens depart top tier leagues across the continent with the lucrative money on offer this summer.
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Verratti is closing in on a switch to Al Arabi after the player verbally agreed terms with the Qatari side.
A permanent transfer is set to follow and the fee PSG are set to pocket for Verratti is reported to be €45 million and the midfielder will travel to Doha in the next 24 hours.
PSG signed Verratti from Pescara for a fee in the region of €12 million back in 2012, so the French side are set to make a decent profit on the midfielder and recoup more than three times what they originally paid for him more than a decade ago.
Topics: Marco Verratti, Paris Saint-Germain, Qatar, Transfers, Football
John McDougall