Marco Verratti’s Former Agent Claims Players Are Scared to Leave PSG: “It’s a Prison"

• Marco Verratti's former agent Donato Di Campli has accused Paris Saint-Germain of "blackmail"
• He says players are scared to leave the club, which he calls a "prison," and that it "has no soul"
• Verratti has been with PSG since 2012 and is second in all-time appearances for the club

Paris Saint-Germain can't seem to stay out of the spotlight. The former agent of PSG star Marco Verratti has launched a scathing attack on the club and how it is run.

In an explosive revelation, Donato Di Campli claimed players like his former client are scared of leaving the club, calling it a "prison" and adding that they use "blackmail" in their operations.

In an explosive interview with Relevo via GOAL, Di Campli revealed the Ligue 1 champions blocked Verratti from joining Barcelona a few years ago. According to him, the club threatened him by saying the player will sack him as his agent.

Yaya Toure's curse: What is it, the story behind it and is it true?

Football

Unsurprisingly, Verratti hired the late super agent Mino Raiola to replace Di Campli.

"In Paris the players are imprisoned, you never do what they want but the club; it's a prison and there is blackmail. PSG's attitude is always blackmail. We had decided to go to Barcelona. That, obviously, the emir did not like. Al Khelaifi even told me that if I kept trying to do the operation with Barca, Verratti was going to let me (go). And that's how it ended up happening. I'm sure Marco was scared, he won't admit it, but that's how it is."

The 30-year-old Italian international has been with the French giants since 2012, becoming the cornerstone in the Qatar Sports Investment era. He has made 416 appearances for PSG, per Transfermarkt. Only Jean-Marc Pilorget has made more appearances for PSG than Verratti.

Verratti's ex-agent attacks PSG president

Di Campli had quite a few things to say. He attacked the club's hierarchy, including PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, saying they only care about money.

Putellas returns but key names missing in Spain World Cup squad

Football

He added the club had talks about a possible deal with Barcelona for Verratti, but Al-Khelaifi never responded to calls by then-Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

"My experience with them is very bad, very bad. They only care about money. It's a club that has no soul. They don't let them leave because the emir and Al Khelaifi think that everything is 'buyable', that they can conquer the world with money alone."

Verratti signed a 2-year contract extension in December 2022 that keeps him at the club until 2026 but has been linked with moves to Saudi Arabia and Spain.

Verratti's tribute to Messi

Sports Brief earlier reported on Lionel Messi's wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, reacting to the PSG superstar’s post on Instagram, where he paid Messi his tribute.

Verratti joined other Parisian stars like Neymar Junior and Kylian Mbappe in bidding the veteran farewell as he prepares to leave France once his contract ends soon.

Messi reportedly decided against renewing his contract with PSG and later joined Inter Miami.