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Simons with the PSG shirt. Twitter/PSG
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16-year-old Barca wonderkid turns down new deal to switch to PSG

Dutch midfielder Xavi Simons has been with the Catalan club’s academy since 2010.

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN have signed 16-year-old Xavi Simons on a three-year contract, the club have announced, after the Dutch wonderkid reportedly turned his back on Barcelona.

“The Dutch midfielder has signed a contract lasting until June 2022,” PSG tweeted today.

Simons refused a contract worth €200,000 a year from Barcelona, a huge amount for a prospect from the club’s training centre La Masia, according to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo.

He also walked away from a chance to be quickly integrated into Barcelona’s youth team, the report adds.

XAVI SIMONS FC BARCELONA UNDER-15 Captaining Barcelona's U15s last season. SIPA USA / PA Images SIPA USA / PA Images / PA Images

The Dutch underage international, at Barca since 2010 and known for his long, curly hair, had earlier announced to his 1.7 million social media followers that he was quitting Barcelona, without saying where he was heading.

The young player, whose agent is Mino Raiola — the agent of players such as Paul Pogba and Matthijs De Ligt among others — joins a club desperate for European honours after years of heartache.

Simons is expected to debut for the French champions in their youth team which plays in Youth League, a junior version of the Champions League.

Keepitonthedeck / YouTube

© AFP 2019  

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