PSG owner convinced of Cabaye success

Paris St Germain owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi has no doubt Yohan Cabaye can be a big success for the Ligue 1 club, despite admitting he has never met the midfielder.

The Ligue 1 champions reached an agreement in principle on Monday to bring the Newcastle player to the French capital.

PSG had a £14million bid rejected on Sunday but then returned with a significantly improved offer - which will remain undisclosed by both parties - to finally get their man.

The 28-year-old Cabaye is now set to undergo a medical in his homeland and Al-Khelaifi is looking forward to adding the France international to the ranks.

He told L'Equipe: "We decided to target Cabaye for three reasons.

"One, he is a very good player, very interesting to us.

"Two, I have never met him but I was told he is a nice guy.

"Three, he is French and it is very important for us to recruit French players at PSG in order to win the French championship."

Al-Khelaifi also played down suggestions the move for Cabaye has not been welcomed by some PSG players, with reports in France suggesting Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva have questioned coach Laurent Blanc's interest in the midfielder.

When asked about the reports, the PSG owner said: "Each to his own. The players are there to play.

"There are major players like Thiago Siva or Ibra who may have their own opinions about this or that player. But they are completely in line with what the club wants.

"Of course, they want the best players in the world to come to Paris. The fans do as well. And Cabaye is a very good player, no doubt about it."

PSG have also been linked with Roma playmaker Miralem Pjanic, but Al-Khelifa conceded a January move for the Bosnia-Herzegovina star is now unlikely to materialise.

"When we spoke with Roma, it turned out it would be difficult for it to happen during the January market," the Qatari businessman said.

"Roma finished second in Serie A and are fighting it out with Juventus for the title. It was difficult for them to release one of their most important players mid-season.

"That's why this market has been so complicated for us: finding a good player who can succeed in the Champions League greatly reduces our options."