Julian Draxler

Chelsea is attempting to hijack PSG's talks over a superb loan transfer for superstar forward Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman has 12 months on his PSG deal, but he has advised the Ligue 1 champions that he has no intention of extending his stay at the club. The London club has taken the lead in expressing an interest in the actor after a disappointing 12th place finish in the 2022-23 Premier League season.

Last year, Nasser Al-Khelaifi told Le Parisien, "We need players who love the team, who love to fight, and who love to win." We want this mentality to be around the team.' And now, one year on, Paris Saint-Germain appears to be living up to their word. The appeal of land star names outside of their prime years has waned, and has instead been replaced by an eagerness to grow from youth and put faith in a hotbed as wealthy as Paris. Lionel Messi, 35, and Sergio Ramos, 37, have both been released; Mauro Icardi, 30, has come back from a loan spell with no prospect of reintegration; and Kylian Mbappe, 30, who has remained on the books six years after signing; as he did last summer, much as he did. PSG appears to be unbothered to be held to ransom at this moment.

Schalke 04 is unquestionably part of not only the furniture, but also the country's upper echelons. The Royal Blues have played in Europe every season from 1991-2002 through 2018-19. In seven of those 16 seasons, and even reached the semi-finals in 2010-11, they reached the Champions League proper, before losing to Manchester United. Bayern Munich has monopoly on the game, winning the Bundesliga for ten years in a row, but Schalke - who sees themselves among Borussia Dortmund's top of the rest' - is often close to challenging the Bavarian giants.