Tuchel leaves out Cavani, Kurzawa despite not being injured

Edinson Cavani and Layvin Kurzawa will not feature against Lille on Sunday, with their respective Paris Saint-Germain futures uncertain. Cavani has been persistently linked with a move away from Parc des Princes this month, with the 32-year-old – who has been injured for some of January – having fallen down the pecking order this season.

The Uruguay striker has handed in a transfer request, while PSG's sporting director Leonardo confirmed a bid from Atletico Madrid has been rejected. Full-back Kurzawa, meanwhile, who is out of contract at the end of the season, is reportedly of interest to Premier League side Arsenal.

Tuchel confirmed that, although both players are fit, neither will be available for Sunday's trip to Lille.

"It is not decided yet. There are things between clubs and Kurzawa, but he is our player. We know that things are not clear yet, the situation is not clear," Tuchel told a news conference. "This is why he is not part of the group for Sunday, in order to manage the situation. We will see. It is the same with Edinson. He trained with us for a few days, no problems, but the situation is unclear and that is why he will not be available.

"It was the best decision. The situation with Kurzawa, it was very recent, a short amount of time, so I think it was useful for him to think and find a solution, and the we will keep going. For Cavani, it has been going for a few weeks, but he trained, he is not injured anymore. But still, we decided that he wasn't available because the situation is unclear. Things might happen during the transfer window."

 

January 24, 2020

While Tuchel insisted PSG's focus remains on the Ligue 1 and Coupe de France matches the French champions have coming up, he was pressed for his thoughts on the dealings of his former club Borussia Dortmund. The Bundesliga side, who are PSG's opponents in the Champions League last 16, have brought in Erling Haaland – who has scored five goals in his first two appearances, both from the bench – while they have also been linked with Juventus midfielder Emre Can.

"I think they will not stop. They will buy one or two other players," Tuchel said of Dortmund. "So, it will be a very tough game against Dortmund, but it is like that. I think [the media] are the only ones always thinking about Dortmund. I didn't talk to my staff or players about Dortmund. I am always only talking about Dortmund during the media conference, but we do not speak about Dortmund in the squad."