Akliouche returns to Monaco with PSG after €50m summer move
By Zak Jackson, MonacoViews Editorial
Maghnes Akliouche faces his former club on Friday night, months after AS Monaco sold the 24-year-old to Paris Saint-Germain for €50 million.
Friday's Ligue 1 fixture at the Stade Louis II carries an extra charge this week, with Maghnes Akliouche lining up against the club that formed him. Monaco sold the attacking midfielder to Paris Saint-Germain this summer in a deal worth €50 million, one of the more significant departures from the Principality's squad in recent seasons.
At 24, Akliouche has yet to fully impose himself in the capital. His early weeks at PSG have drawn a measured verdict from observers, with the consensus that he has not yet hit the levels that made him such an attractive prospect under Monaco's coaching staff. Tonight's match, which kicks off at 21h05, offers him an obvious opportunity to answer some of those questions in front of a crowd that knows him well.
For AS Monaco, the reunion is a chance to show that life after Akliouche is progressing on schedule. The club retains a strong financial position from the sale and will be watching closely to see whether the player's slow start in Paris vindicates or complicates how they managed the transfer.