Matuidi having a medical at Juventus ahead of move from PSG
TURIN, Italy (AP) Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Blaise Matuidi was having a medical at Juventus on Wednesday ahead of a potential move to the Serie A club.
Juventus said that Matuidi arrived at Turin airport in the afternoon and was undergoing the first part of his medical.
The 30-year-old Matuidi will undergo further tests on Thursday morning and is then expected to sign a three-year contract.
Juventus will reportedly pay PSG 20 million euros ($23 million) plus bonuses for the player, who had a year left on his contract with the French club.
PSG, which is also trying to balance the books after buying Neymar for 222 million euros, could not afford to lose Matuidi on a free transfer.
Matuidi played nearly 300 games for PSG in all competitions after joining from Saint-Etienne in 2011.
After a difficult first season, he quickly became an integral part of the team for successive managers, Carlo Ancelotti and Laurent Blanc.
He flourished from a largely defensive midfielder to a robust, tireless runner with an eye for goal and an enormous work-rate.
Overcoming some technical deficiencies in his game, Matuidi gradually earned himself a place in the France lineup and became a key player at the 2014 World Cup and last year's European Championship.
At the beginning of last season, after Blanc was fired and replaced by Unai Emery, he expressed a desire to leave PSG and already wanted to join Juventus. But the club blocked his move, considering him too important to leave, and he stayed for another season.
Altogether, Matuidi has scored 33 goals for PSG in 295 appearances, becoming a well-respected player among fans and teammates alike, often taking a public stance when others would not and when tensions arose within the club.
In all, Matuidi has won four league titles, three French Cups and four League Cups with PSG.
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This story has been corrected to show that Neymar's fee was 222 million euros, not 220 million euros.
