Marco Asensio 'on verge of joining Paris Saint-Germain'

The 27-year-old's deal with Real Madrid is due to expire at the end of the month, and it is understood that he has decided to end his association with the club in search of pastures new.

Los Blancos have been working to keep hold of the Spain international, who has scored 12 goals and registered eight assists in 50 appearances during the 2022-23 campaign.

However, Asensio's struggles when it comes to securing starts have allegedly led to him deciding to leave Bernabeu.

A number of Premier League clubs have been linked with the forward, while it is also understood that almost all of the major Italian teams were keen on his signature.

However, PSG have recently emerged as the favourites for the Spaniard, and according to German journalist Florian Plettenberg, a deal is now close to going through.

Plettenberg claims that Asensio is set to sign a contract with the French giants until June 2027, and he will become the club's first signing of the summer window.

Lionel Messi's departure from the Ligue 1 champions has now been made official, while Neymar is currently being linked with a move away from the club, who are believed to be willing to move in a different direction in the coming years in a bid to finally win the Champions League.

Asensio made the move to Real Madrid from Mallorca in 2014, and he has represented the club on 285 occasions, scoring 61 goals and registering 32 assists.

The Spaniard has only made 15 starts in La Liga this season, though, with Rodrygo and Federico Valverde both ahead of him in the pecking order when it comes to the position on the right of Real Madrid's attack.

Real Madrid have also been hit with the news that Karim Benzema is set to leave this summer in order to make a big-money move to Saudi Arabia.

The Frenchman had widely been expected to sign another one-year deal in the Spanish capital, but he is expected to confirm his exit at a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

As well as Asensio and Benzema, Dani Ceballos, Nacho and Mariano Diaz could leave Real Madrid on free transfers this summer, but Luka Modric and Toni Kroos are both set to sign new deals.