PSG Transfer News: Hatem Ben Arfa Confirms Summer Exit Rumours

Hatem Ben Arfa has announced he will leave Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent when his contract expires this summer, confirming exit rumours that have been swirling for some time.

The former Newcastle United man took to Instagram to announce his decision, and EFE (for Marca) translated the text that accompanied the image and read: "In a short time my adventure at PSG wiill finish and despite some difficult moments I am happy to have worn the shirt. I have some fantastic memories of my teammates and I am grateful for all the support I have received. I will always love this club."

As shared by sportswriter Jonathan Johnson, his decision does not come as a surprise:

The 31-year-old moved to the French capital in 2016 but could not secure a regular spot in his first season with the club, and he's been frozen out completely this year.

Per Mark Clayton of the Leicester Mercury, he was heavily linked with Leicester City in January, but at the time, his lawyer hinted he would not give up his lucrative contract and PSG would have to buy him out, per Le Monde.

That all but ruled out a January move, and instead, Ben Arfa opted to let his contract run down, cashing in before a summer exit. Sportswriter Mark Douglas wondered if he'll get one more payday from a top club:

Ben Arfa's career has been a frustrating one to follow, as the former France international has flashed exceptional talent but fallen flat whenever he's stepped up in competition.

He was excellent for Marseille, prompting a Premier League move in 2011. At Newcastle and Hull City, the Frenchman failed to develop, and he was regarded as a massive bust when he returned to France in 2015.

But at Nice, the winger looked like a man reborn, doing some incredible things with a ball:

He scored 17 goals in Ligue 1 last season, earning himself another lucrative move to a bigger club. Unfortunately, that club was PSG, who already had tons of talent in the wide areas and added even more firepower in attack last summer, with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe arriving.

Ben Arfa didn't do enough last season to warrant heavy use in the 2017-18 campaign, but he also wasn't willing to sacrifice some of his current earnings in order to facilitate a January transfer. Combined with his past struggles in the Premier League, teams will be wary this summer.

Ben Arfa has heaps of talent, but he's always been at his best in a starring role for smaller clubs. For such clubs, spending a large portion of their wage budget on a single player is a risk, but at least they won't have to pay PSG a transfer fee.