Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are not sister clubs, but the relationship between the two clubs is good and, above all, is full of respect for one another.
Any movement regarding one of the players for either Los Blancos or the Parisians is brought to the attention of the other, as shown by Keylor Navas’ move to the Parc des Princes this summer, and also with the Neymar saga.
The Costa Rican is set to make his European debut with PSG on Wednesday night, just a few weeks after joining from Madrid, while Alphonse Areola, who signed for Los Blancos on a season-long loan as part of the Keylor deal, will be on the Madrid bench at his parent club’s home.
Florentino Perez and Nasser Al-Khelaifi, of Real Madrid and PSG, have a long day ahead of them. Before, during and after the match they will be together and will talk about what has happened in the last few months, and especially what could happen in the future.
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The two presidents understand that talk of players such as Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and many others may crop up down the line, but especially the Frenchman as Mbappe is yet to sign a contract renewal at the Parc des Princes.
During the summer, the dialogue between Florentino and Al-Khelaifi was constant. Following Neymar‘s request to leave PSG, Al-Khelaifi and the Parisians’ sporting director, Leonardo, sought a destination for the Brazilian and they knew that Madrid could be a good fit, while they were also aware that Los Blancos could meet their economic demands.
Florentino will get the chance to meet Qatar’s Emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who has stated that he will come to Paris to watch the match. The last time that the Emir was at the Parc des Princes was to watch PSG in their Champions League last 16 tie against Manchester United last season, which saw the Ligue 1 side eliminated after a stoppage-time Marcus Rashford penalty in the second leg.
Emmanuel Macron, the French president and Nicolas Sarkozy a keen follower of PSG are expected at the Parc Des Princes this evening as well.
The firmness of the Emir
The Emir will watch the match from his box and will do so in a hostile atmosphere, with the Neymar saga still having an effect at the club, although the Brazilian forward will miss PSG‘s first two Champions League games through suspension.
The sporting decisions depend on Leonardo and Al-Khelaifi, but it is the Emir who always has the final say, as he showed by demanding the 222 million euros that the French giants paid for Neymar back in 2017.
Throughout the summer, PSG looked to tip the scales towards Madrid in the event that Neymar departed the club. Their relationship with Barcelona is not good, which is quite the opposite of their rapport with Los Blancos.
In fact, the only blot on the relationship between PSG and Madrid came two seasons ago when the French side’s ultras made a lot of commotion outside Madrid‘s hotel before their game against PSG in the hope that they wouldn’t allow Zinedine Zidane‘s players to rest.
