Neymar and Kylian Mbappe may be superstar additions at Paris Saint-Germain but they do not have the club in their DNA, says former Parisiens player Pierre Ducrocq.
In an effort to position themselves at the top of domestic and European games, the Ligue 1 heavyweights continue to invest heavily in proven talent.
A record-breaking €222 million deal acquired the services of Neymar from Barcelona in the summer of 2017, with Mbappe joining him in the French capital from Monaco in a deal which will eventually be worth €180m.
Both men have impressed in new surroundings, but Ducrocq acknowledges that neither has PSG in their heart ahead of a derby date with arch-rivals Marseille.
A former academy graduate at Parc des Princes told Goal: "You cannot ask the players to have this feeling in their heart.
“It's not in their DNA, like other players who are Parisians like [Adrien] Rabiot or [Presnel] Kimpembe.”
Mbappe was actually born on the outskirts of Paris, but headed south to Monaco at an early age.
He has already conceded that he was unaware of the intense rivalry between PSG and Marseille, stating after a 2-2 draw between the two sides in October: “We didn't realise how important that game was.”
Those comments were not particularly well received by a demanding fan base in Paris, but they came as little surprise to Ducrocq.
“Kylian didn't grow up in Paris. He went to Monaco at a very young age," he added. “It was his first PSG-OM. It's not like when you grow up in the PSG training academy. You can attend six or seven PSG-OM games.
“The most important thing is how he reacts after that game.”
PSG will play host to Marseille on Sunday sat 11 points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 table and 13 in front of their old adversaries from Stade Velodrome.
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