French champions Paris Saint Germain have announced the capture of 16-year-old starlet Xavi Simmons from Barcelona. The Dutch wonderkid rejected a professional contract from the Catalans to sign for Les Parisiens. Barca will only receive €130,000 for development rights as the deal to keep Simmons only expired last month.
The Dutch prodigy joined the La Masia academy at the age of seven. However, like many others in a long listz Simmons has chosen to kickstart his professional career away from the Nou Camp.
Barcelona initially offered him a contract that would have seen him rotating between the U19 A and B teams and no significant pay raise. Coaches working at La Masia told ESPN that Simmons was a good talent but not someone they would go out of their way to hold on to.
The 16-year-old also thanked his former employers through social media.
“I leave a part of me in Barcelona and a part of Barcelona will always be with me,” Simons wrote in a post on social media on Tuesday. “It’s a complicated day for me because nobody likes to say goodbye.
“And less so when you need to say goodbye to the place that’s been your home.”
Paris Saint Germain and Barcelona are also locked in negotiations for Brazilian superstar Neymar, who longs to return to the Nou Camp this summer.
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