Paris FC make Neal Maupay priority as Edin Dzeko option dropped | OneFootball

According to L'Équipe, Paris FC are in talks to sign Marseille forward Neal Maupay, their top winter priority, and the Edin Dzeko route has been shelved.

The centre-forward market is thin in January.

Paris FC offered €25m for Angevin teenager Sidiki Chérif, 19, but the player showed little appetite to join, so attention shifted. Talks were then opened with Brest’s Ludovic Ajorque, 31, whose club rejected a €10m bid last week.

Maupay has been approached in recent hours and is viewed as the most serious option for the promoted club. Dzeko is not heading to Paris, and on Tuesday the 39-year-old Bosnia striker at Fiorentina was expected to sign for Schalke 04, leaders of the German second tier.

Head coach Stéphane Gilli spoke with Maupay on Tuesday and is keen on his profile. The former Nice forward has been frozen out at Marseille, with only 90 minutes this season across three games, including two in the Coupe de France.

The Paris project appeals to Maupay, who would prefer a deal longer than six months. He remains under contract with OM until June 2028 and also has an offer from Sevilla FC.

Paris FC favour a loan, while Marseille prefer a sale or a loan with an almost automatic option to buy. With Willem Geubbels and Jonathan Ikoné both out with adductor injuries and doubtful for Angers on Sunday, Jean-Philippe Krasso is the only fit centre-forward. Moses Simon, who finished third at the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria, could return.

Source: L'Équipe