Scouting PSG Transfer Target Federico Bernardeschi

Before Paris Saint-Germain’s 4-1 thumping of Stade de Reims last Saturday, the supporters at Parc des Princes were given one final chance to say goodbye to the departing Ezequiel Lavezzi.

The Argentina international arrived in the French capital back in 2012 and spent almost four years there before agreeing to leave in order to join the growing number of star players in the Chinese Super League with Hebei China Fortune.

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Lavezzi’s sale has created a hole in the PSG squad—both in terms of the player and the character—and this gap needs filling in the near future.

With the European transfer window closed, Les Parisiens are unable to make any moves until this summer. Once the transfer market is open for business, though, a replacement for El Pocho will be up at the top of Laurent Blanc’s shopping list.

Lavezzi is a wide player and played almost exclusively on the left for the runaway Ligue 1 leaders.

Although finding someone to fill the void left by the 30-year-old is a pressing issue for the men from the capital, they could actually do with a player a little more versatile than the former PSG No. 22 was.

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The latest player to be linked with a move to Paris in the near future is Fiorentina’s Federico Bernardeschi. According to the Sun, the French giants are in a battle against Manchester United and Real Madrid to land the 22-year-old.

Bernardeschi was on target last week as Fiorentina drew 1-1 with Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of the pair’s UEFA Europe League last-32 encounter at Stadio Artemio Franchi and seemingly caught the eye with his performance for Paulo Sousa’s Serie A high-flyers.

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What sort of player is the Italian then? Like Lavezzi, Viola’s Bernardeschi is primarily a wide man—although capable of playing on either side—and has spent most of his time this season on the right.

El Pocho was more of an attacking winger, but the Italy under-21 international is more of an attacking midfielder and can also play in the middle or wide up top.

Bernardeschi is a good dribbler and gifted with an eye for making key passes—particularly through balls—but he is also not afraid to get involved physically and help his defence out when required.

Lavezzi was decent when running with the ball at his feet, but his technical ability—be it passing or taking shots—was often found lacking. Although his work rate could not be faulted, the Argentine did not muck in defensively as much as other attacking teammates like Edinson Cavani.

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Not the strongest in the air, Bernardeschi would not offer much of an aerial threat, and his crossing also needs some work. However, his predecessor was not exactly renowned for his prowess in either of those fields either and lived off his speed for most of his time in Paris.

The Fiorentina man likes to take the ball forward, play long and raking passes, and keep the ball on the floor to play it around.

With that in mind, the youngster sounds similar to current PSG playmaker Javier Pastore.

Speaking of the Argentina international, El Flaco is one of a sizeable contingent of Italian-speaking former Serie A stars at Parc des Princes, and having so many familiar players around would make it easier for Bernardeschi to adapt to life with Les Parisiens and the rigours of Ligue 1 football.

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Pastore, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, Marco Verratti, Thiago Motta, Cavani, Maxwell, Marquinhos and Salvatore Sirigu have all spent time playing in Italy and would play important roles in helping the exciting Azzurri starlet to fit in.

The question is whether or not Bernardeschi would represent an upgrade on Lavezzi. Although the former SSC Napoli man was relatively one-dimensional because of his pace and little else, there are too many question marks over the Fiorentina gem’s current ability.

In order for PSG to strengthen their squad after Lavezzi’s departure, they must sign somebody significantly more suitable to their style of play than the South American was.

Therefore, the French champions should be looking at more established stars rather than potential ones.

Also, there are a number of interesting young prospects in Ligue 1 at present, such as Lille OSC’s Sofiane Boufal, whom PSG are likely considering in addition to Bernardeschi.