Xavi Simons has recently entered the final 12 months of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain, making him available for a cut-price fee

Arsenal have been dealt a major blow to their chances of signing Xavi Simons. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder has been briefly linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium this summer following his impressive performances for club and country.

Simons, who spent last season on loan at RB Leipzig from Paris Saint-Germain, featured 32 times in the Bundesliga, scoring eight goals and providing 13 assists. Playing a key role in Marco Rose’s side, he helped the German outfit finish fourth and secure Champions League qualification.

Then, in the summer, the Netherlands international fired his country into the latter stages of Euro 2024. Despite netting an outrageous strike against England in the semi-finals, Simons couldn’t quite lead his country to silverware.

The Dutchman is currently under contract at PSG, but he faces an uncertain future in the French capital, with his deal set to expire in June 2025. In fact, according to Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg, Bayern Munich is pushing to sign Simons this summer.

The report states that the Bavarians have considered bringing him in on a free transfer next year, but they want to secure his signature now. Plettenberg claims that Bayern and PSG are currently negotiating a deal, while personal terms have already been agreed upon.

While Vincent Kompany’s side seems determined to wrap up a deal, they face competition from RB Leipzig. Speaking to Sky Sports on Friday after a 1-0 friendly win against SV Babelsberg, Rose revealed that Die Roten Bullen are ‘fighting’ to bring Simons back to the Red Bull Arena.

“I am still optimistic that we can definitely keep our top players here because they want to stay here too,” said the RB Leipzig boss. “Because they know what they have in Leipzig, because they have made good steps here.”

Then, when explicitly quizzed on Simons, Rose said: “Xavi told me on the last phone call, coach, I’m fine; I’m going on holiday now, and I’m turning off my mobile phone. And I haven’t heard anything since then.

“It’s the transfer period. And we notice that some clubs everywhere are still signing players, but they also have to let go. We have an absolutely top core, a good basis. And of course, we try to keep our top players.”

Rose added, “We hope that the boy comes back. I said, We are still working on it; we are optimistic. And somehow he is still one of our players, even though we have no control over him. For me, Xavi is an RB player, whatever the outcome.”