Randal Kolo Muani officially signed with PSG during the past season amid a highly publicized transfer. However, the process was marked by dramatic moments, including Muani’s training strike to pressure his former club and communication issues between Eintracht Frankfurt and Paris Saint-Germain. Muani has now disclosed that his former club had initially expressed a strong desire to keep him.

In August, Randal Kolo Muani clashed with Eintracht Frankfurt in an attempt to secure a transfer to PSG. The German club was hesitant to release the French international to Paris Saint-Germain, prompting Muani to go on strike by skipping a training session.

Four months after his high-profile transfer, which cost PSG approximately €95 million, Randal Kolo Muani revealed to Gaffer magazine the initial stance of Eintracht Frankfurt on the matter: “Frankfurt? They wanted to keep me for the long term.” This disclosure sheds light on the club’s intentions, particularly as they had signed Muani from FC Nantes just a year earlier as a free agent.

The transfer saga of Muani could have taken a very different turn, as Sport BILD recently reported that the move might not have happened at all. Executives from Eintracht Frankfurt were unreachable at the close of the transfer window. It was only thanks to Axel Hellman, a member of Frankfurt’s board, that Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, PSG’s president, was able to negotiate. Hellman had a mere 2% battery left on his phone when he struck the deal, adding an extra layer of tension to the negotiations.

This behind-the-scenes view of Muani’s transfer sheds light on the intricate and often intense nature of football business dealings, serving as a reminder that these multi-million euro moves are not always as seamless as they appear from the outside.