PSG China Tour: Inter Milan in Macau, Wu Lei’s Espanyol in Suzhou and Ligue 1 curtain-raiser against Rennes in Shenzhen

French champions Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed the venues and opposition for their three-stop China tour this summer.

The Parisians became the latest European football club to head to Asia this summer after many chose to stay away last year because of the World Cup in Russia.

The details were confirmed at a press conference in Shenzhen for both the annual Trophee des Champions and this summer’s tour.

Thomas Tuchel’s side’s pre-season plans in China will include three matches as they look to forget a disappointing season that saw them lose in the Coupe de France final and exit the Uefa Champions League at the round of 16.

PSG will play Inter Milan in Macau in the International Super Cup on July 27 before travelling to Suzhou where they will take on Espanyol on July 30.

The tour climaxes with the club returning to Shenzhen for the Trophee des Champions clash with Rennes on August 3.

This will be the second year that the Ligue 1 curtain-raiser has taken place at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre.

PSG lifted the trophy there last summer when they beat Monaco 4-0 in front of a crowd of over 40,000 thanks to goals from Angel Di Maria, Christopher Nkinku and Timothy Weah.

While the return to Shenzhen was expected, the trip to Macau has come as something of a surprise.

The game will mark PSG’s first trip and Inter’s first return for 20 years.

Inter Milan are owned by Suning, the Chinese electronics retailer, and the game is part of their own visit to Asia this summer, their first in two years

That match will take place at the 16,000-capacity Macau Olympic Sports Centre Stadium.

They will also play Manchester United in Singapore on July 20 and a game against Juventus that is expected to be played in mainland China.

PSG will travel to Suzhou to play another Chinese-owned team, Espanyol. The Barcelona-based side have seen their profile in China raise since they signed Chinese international striker Wu Lei from Chinese Super League champions Shanghai SIPG in the January transfer window.

PSG have made a push into the Chinese market in recent years. They signed up a Chinese e-sports team, LGD Sports, and also opened a fan experience zone in Shanghai last year.

At the time, the club claimed to have 1.5 million fans in China and be the best supported French club in the country.

They also announced a grassroots project in Shandong. “Perhaps we will be able to find China’s Neymar through the project,” Fabien Allegre, merchandising and brand diversification director at PSG, told the Sports Pro website.

In the meantime, Chinese fans will have to make do with a visit from PSG’s Neymar and his teammates this summer.

They will hope that it is not like the summer of 2017 when he visited for a promotional tour that coincided with his transfer from Barcelona to the Paris side.

Instead, they will hope that the Brazilian will be joined by France’s World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe and a host of star-studded summer signings.