Carlo Ancelotti Says Marco Verratti Wanted New PSG Deal Amid Barcelona Rumours

Bayern Munich manager Carlo Ancelotti believes Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti was angling for a new deal this summer amid links to Barcelona.

The Italian midfielder was strongly linked with the Catalan giants in the window, though a transfer eventually didn't go through. When asked about his former player, the Bayern boss suggested the speculation was with a view to a new contract, per French newspaper Le Figaro (h/t Football Italia).

"I don't like those things, that kind of behaviour," said Ancelotti. "Many players want to leave their clubs when the transfer window is open, but I don't know if they really want to leave just improve their contracts. Verratti? He wanted a better contract. I know him well!"

Ancelotti does know Verratti well, as he was the manager in charge at the Parc des Princes when PSG signed him. The legendary coach will return to his former club on Wednesday, when these two giants of European football meet in the UEFA Champions League.

As noted by the tournament's official Twitter account, in PSG's opening fixture of the tournament—a 5-0 win over Celtic—Verratti was conductor of the team's attacking play:

Speculation was rife about the 24-year-old's future during the summer. In July, the player released an apology in the aftermath of comments made by his former agent Donato Di Campli suggesting he wanted to leave the French giants.

"I am very happy here, we got back to training now, I am thrilled to be back here and start working again," he told the club's Twitter account. "I know the club trusts me and I really want to apologise once again."

SYLVAIN THOMAS/Getty Images

It appears Barca's interest in the Azzurri star was genuine, too.The Blaugrana's sporting director Robert Fernandez confirmed as much in a press conference earlier this month. 

"It's not true that we didn't go for Verratti," he said, per Robert Summerscales of the MailOnline. "I personally spoke with Unai Emery and he knows that he's a player we wanted."

As noted by journalist Liam Canning, missing out on Verratti and eventually losing Neymar to PSG represented a disappointing summer for Barcelona:

While Ancelotti may know Verratti well, all signs point to real interest from Barcelona in landing the player from the Paris outfit. And with a new contract signed ahead of the 2016-17 season, there surely wouldn't be too much of a desire to force through new terms so quickly.

PSG don't appear to be a club that'll cash in on key assets anymore, either, having made major statements in the previous window with the signings of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. They'll add an attacking flair to the team, but in terms of building pressure and exerting control in football matches, Verratti is their key man.