French international defender Presnel Kimpembe looked like he was about to depart PSG in this transfer window, but he’s still at Parc des Princes on the day Les Parisians kick their new Ligue 1 campaign off.Kimpembe convinced the PSG staff to retain him despite new sporting director Luis Campos’ initial desire to remove the player from the squad. Kimpembe is currently under contract until June 2024 and has been seeking a contract extension with a wage rise that would put him on a comparable footing with fellow centre-back Marquinhos.##NAJAVA_MECA_6548755##After seven years with PSG, he began reflecting on his future, following interest from Chelsea and his former boss Thomas Tuchel. At the same time, Campos was seeking to get rid of Kimpembe because of his persistent failure to concentrate in make-or-break matches.In the end, offers for Kimpembe were not concrete or sufficient for PSG to sell. At the same time, the tall centre-back impressed in pre-season under his new manager Christophe Galtier, who found the player’s application admirable. Another major factor is that the Frenchman has a home-grown status, making him even more necessary so that the club would comply with the Champions League squad.Paris Saint-Germain soccer players Idrissa Gana Gueye @IGanaGueye, Presnel Kimpembe @kimpembe_3 and Abdou Diallo @Abdou_diallo_ visited Jerusalem and posted these beautiful photos. They had played at the French Super Cup in Tel Aviv on Sunday. Welcome to your second home. pic.twitter.com/uv2G4g0fwC— Avi Kaner ابراهيم אבי (@AviKaner) August 2, 2022 Kimpembe realises that to have a legitimate shot at the World Cup, he needs to be a starter in Galtier’s back three and to perform impeccably, alongside Marquinhos and Sergio Ramos. He’s expected to start tonight as PSG get their league season up and running with a trip to Clermont Foot, the team that barely survived last season, finishing in the 17th spot.LIGUE 1 – Matchday 1FridayOlympique Lyonnais – Ajaccio 2-1 (2-1)/Tete 12, Lacazette 22 pen – Mangani 31 pen/Saturday18.00: (2.81) Strasbourg (3.20) Monaco (2.85)22.00: (9.50) Clermont (6.00) PSG (1.31)Sunday14.00: (3.00) Toulouse (3.30) Nice (2.60)16.00: (2.78) Angers (3.10) Nantes (3.00)16.00: (1.84) Lille (3.70) Auxerre (5.00)16.00: (2.35) Montpellier (3.35) Troyes (3.40)16.00: (1.63) Lens (4.10) Brest (6.25)18.05: (1.38) Rennes (5.50) Lorient (9.50)21.45: (1.65) Olympique Marseille (3.90) Reims (6.50)***odds are subject to change
