The Ligue 1 champions are also poised to sign Juan Bernat in the final hours of the transfer window
Paris Saint-Germain are poised to complete a shock move for Stoke forward Eric Choupo-Moting, head coach Thomas Tuchel has confirmed.
A deal for the 29-year-old has come rather out of the blue, while Bayern Munich defender Juan Bernat is poised to join the former Schalke man in the French capital.
The move, however, does raise questions about the future of young PSG academy product Timothy Weah, who has impressed in the opening weeks of the season.
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Speaking to the press on Friday, the ex-Borussia Dortmund boss confirmed that both Cameroon international Choupo-Moting and Bernat are on the verge of signing: “I am not going to lie, we are trying to get both players to sign – they are undergoing their medicals now. I do not know if others will follow.”
While the arrival of the Stoke man comes as a surprise, Tuchel has argued there is a logical line of thought behind the move.
“We have been looking for a backup to Edinson Cavani for a while,” he said. “Eric gave us an opportunity. He is a player of top quality & can impact games from the bench. We wanted a strong player, able to hold the ball up & dominate aerially.”
PSG had previously stated that Weah would remain at the club and not move away on loan, yet Tuchel has suggested that they may rethink that stance in the light of the imminent arrival.
“His arrival will influence Timothy Weah’s future. That said, they are different types of player,” he said.
Meanwhile, the coach also gave an update on the fitness of his squad prior to Saturday’s trip to Nimes. While they will still be without Layvin Kurzawa and Dani Alves, Tuchel is hoping to count on one player returning.
“Marco Verratti is back in training & we will decide together later if he will be coming to Nimes with us,” he said.
PSG have a perfect record in Ligue 1 thus far this season, having earned nine points from a possible nine. They lead the league on goals scored from quick-starting Dijon.