Saint-Etienne Ace Dimitri Payet Pushing For Paris Saint-Germain Move

Paris Saint-Germain appear to have captured the heart of Saint-Etienne's Dimitri Payet, but a deal still must be concluded.
Dimitri Payet has made no secret of his desire to depart Saint-Etienne for Paris Saint-Germain on transfer deadline day, stating that the attitude of the directors of les Verts has pushed him towards the exit.

With Sainte refusing to commit themselves to improving their first team squad in the summer, Payet reacted by refusing the board’s offer to extend his contract, which runs until 2013. Aiming to play in the 2012 European Championships, the young winger wants to strut his stuff on a higher-profile stage, and les Parisiens would give him that opportunity.

“There is a real fissure between the [Saint-Etienne] leaders and I,” Payet lamented to L’Equipe before explaining why he is interested in joining les Rouge et Bleu. “It is a project that interests me very much. Paris are second in Le Championnat, they are able to qualify for the Champions League, they are in the knockout stages of UEFA Europa League, and they are a club that could teach me.”

A deal valued at around €7 million would have to be completed on Monday, and Payet is hopeful of a positive conclusion.

“I hope we will soon find a favourable outcome to these negotiations,” he explained. “If it’s not done, I would lose, and the club would too.”

Chelsea have also been associated with a late bid for the France international in the UK, though a move to PSG looks a likelier route for Payet present.

Saint-Etienne are already lining up replacements, with Monaco’s Alejandro Alonso and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is on loan from Milan, amongst the players who could join les Verts in the forthcoming hours.