For some, Paris Saint-Germain starlet Desire Doue was a surprising selection in Luis Enrique's starting line-up against Aston Villa in last night's Champions League quarter-final first leg.
Star of the Manchester City clash in the league phase, Bradley Barcola, was left on the bench to run at tired Villa legs in the second half – but that was after Doue scored a cracker past Emi Martinez and was central to a phenomenal performance from the newly-crowned French champions.
With PSG now one of the favourites for a first European title, it appears as if ousting their Galactiques trio of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi was a sensible step forward – though they might still break a transfer record when it comes to Doue's future.
PSG will demand world-record fee to sell Desire Doue
Ranked at no.8 in FourFourTwo's list of the most exciting teenagers to watch this season, Doue signed for the serial Ligue 1 champs last summer, for a fee L'Equipe claimed to be around €50 million.
“He can pirouette through tight spaces and slalom through defences like the wind: but for all the joga bonito, he’s a proper, ‘2024 footballer’, too,” we said in our rundown last August. “Doue has the willingness to press diligently; the IQ to steal the ball from deep. He’s creative without being wasteful. He could so easily take on half your team – but he has the intelligence to know the opportune moment.
“No.8s with high take-on stats are ten a penny – they need a little covering, defensively – but Doue is disciplined.”
Compared to legendary former Rouge-et-Bleu star and 2005 Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldinho, Doue is enjoying a breakout season with star performances against the likes of Aston Villa and Liverpool, with Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal all previously linked with the playmaker.
Spanish outlet Fichajes, however, have reported the extortionate price that would tempt PSG into a sale, however, writing that, “potential negotiations would start at a minimum of €300m.”
Such a figure may seem extortionate but PSG are no strangers to such figures, since they are placed no.1 and no.2 in the list of all-time transfer fees, having paid almost €400m for Neymar and Mbappe in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
FourFourTwo understands that there is currently no serious interest in Doue from Premier League sides after failure to capture him next summer.
Regardless, PSG's stance is a firm one with their asking price, and with a contract reaching until 2029, it's unlikely that the midfielder will be on the move at least in the next couple of years.
Last summer saw PSG add promising stars Joao Neves and Willian Pacho to their squad for an estimated €100m, while Georgian superstar Khvicha Kvaratskhelia linked up in January from Napoli, with the club looking to replace the void of Mbappe with the next big talents approaching peak age.
Doue is valued at €60m by Transfermarkt. Paris Saint-Germain travel to Birmingham next week to face Aston Villa once more, as Champions League action returns.
