Ukrainian footballer refuses to join Paris Saint-Germain club because of Russian goalkeeper

Illia Zabarnyi, the Ukrainian defender of the English club Bournemouth, does not intend to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

Source:  Loïc Tanzi, journalist of a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sport L'Équipe; Champion, a sports news platform within Ukrainska Pravda’s holding company

Details: The Ukrainian national team player is apprehensive about a potential dispute with PSG's Russian goalkeeper, Matvey Safonov.

PSG's administration is considering selling Safonov to make room for Zabarnyi, but the 23-year-old centre-back's unwillingness to relocate to France complicates the situation.

According to the source, PSG head coach Luis Enrique admires the Ukrainian, who has been in all 20 Premier League matches this season and leads the squad in terms of selections, with an average of 4.6 per match.

The Bournemouth club is presently seventh in the English Premier League standings, and according to SofaScore, Illia Zabarny is one of the top 10 Cherries players this season ("The Cherries" is an unofficial nickname for Bournemouth).

Earlier, Bournemouth strengthened their squad with the addition of D.C. United centre-back Matai Akinmboni who could be a potential replacement for Illia Zabarnyi. Western media have linked the Ukrainian with a possible transfer to Real Madrid, Chelsea or Liverpool.

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