FRANCE | psg
PSG expecting frenzied summer transfer trading
The French champions are preparing to release several of its star players, is looking for a new coach and must also address Sergio Ramos’ contract.
Summers in Paris are known for being hot, stifling, intense and generally very uncomfortable - especially when it comes to football. The next one will be no exception. With four league games left to play, PSG are six points clear at the top of Ligue 1 and aiming for what would be their 11th crown. Securing the league title would make them the most successful team in the history of French football. But the club is preparing to tackle a summer window full of operations - disasters that it will try to fix, as much as possible, ahead of next season.
Winning the Champions League is an obsession for Qatar, which has invested huge amounts of money in the project. But this summer, the tables have turned. The galácticos project, except for any last-minute twist, will come to an end and the sports management team, headed by Luis Campos, will be seeking to surround Kylian Mbappé with young, competitive players. It wants to strengthen a side that has been continuously damaged by the battle of egos in the locker room.
Mbappé, untouchable
Kylian Mbappé is the only PSG player who is guaranteed to continue beyond this summer. Just under a year ago, the French striker renewed until 2024 - not until 2025 as the club first announced, so the next transfer window will be decisive in tying him to a new deal until 2025.
Qatar and Al Khelaïfi, who did everything possible to get Kylian to renew - including involving France president Emmanuel Macron, are aware that they have already used up the first bullet of the two they have to strike a new contract. PSG won’t do anything crazy this summer. They will try to sign sensibly, and not be economically wasteful in their dealings. They will also fight to ensure that the star of the project, Kylian Mbappé, continues for another year in the French capital.
In October, the striker already made a first ‘feint’ of leaving. He felt betrayed by the promises of Nasser Al Khelaïfi after a disappointing transfer window - one that was far from what he had expected of the club in order to renew terms. The club is now facing a similar scenario - it’s identical to that of August 2021 when Kylian was just about to enter the last year of his contract. It ended a few months down the line with the player striking a new deal at the eleventh hour.
Messi exit
Leo Messi was the icing on the cake for the Qatar project in Paris. The Argentine landed at PSG in August 2021 after failing to renew with Barcelona. His incorporation, stratospheric and unexpected in every way, brought the club closer to its obsession of winning the Champions League. Two years later, after two eliminations in the round of 16 of the top European competition, his future is more than ever outside the Parc des Princes.
During the past week, in fact, what could be the final divorce between Messi and PSG took place. The Argentinian travelled to Saudi Arabia without permission from the club and was suspended and docked two weeks’ pay. Days later, after a video posted on social media in which he apologized, PSG management reconsidered and the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner returned to training.
The fact that PSG pardoned Messi does not mean, in principle, that both parties agree on his renewal. In France, it is already taken for granted that he will not continue next season. Messi’s entourage reiterate that he will not decide anything until the season is over, and does not yet take his departure for granted. His father, Jorge Messi, denied this in a statement on Tuesday, after having reportedly reached a “verbal agreement” with Al-Hilal - claims which various French media published throughout the day. Until the Ligue 1 title is secured, Messi will not make a decision, although the option of returning to Barcelona remains his priority.
Neymar’s time in Paris coming to an end
Six years after breaking the bank with his signing, forking out €220 million for his services, PSG have already decided that Neymar will not continue next season. During those six years there have been numerous ups and downs, continuous injuries and a Champions League final lost, in 2020. All of that has had a knock-on effect for a player who has aroused more criticism than praise since landing in Paris to be the best player on the planet.
Last year, Ney unilaterally executed a clause that was in his contract and that allowed him to renew until 2027. That act was understood as a challenge to PSG, which put him on the market, but the Brazilian’s refusal to move on derailed any operation. Now the situation has changed. The former Barcelona player is evaluating a departure in June and the club is analyzing the different options with which it could save a token amounting to 40 million euros in wages per season.
Several Premier League clubs, including Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle, have already expressed, although not publicly, their interest in signing the player. Neymar must, however, lower his salary or, in the event that an agreement cannot be reached for him to do so, PSG would be forced to assume half of his wages if a loan deal with a purchase materializes. His exit is looking increasingly possible.
Optimism for Ramos
Through sheer hard work and effort, Sergio Ramos has managed to completely change his situation at PSG. After a debut year to forget, marked by inextricable injuries, the Spaniard has completely forgotten his physical ailments and is now a leader for Galtier and in the dressing room. He has done enough to earn the club’s trust when the time comes to negotiate a new deal.
Both Al Khelaïfi and Luis Campos had made it subject to his performance in the Champions League knockout round tie against Bayern. The team was eliminated prematurely but Ramos’ great performances in both legs, together with his leadership, are two assets in his favour when comes down to sit down with the club and discuss his future.
At the moment, the 37-year-old still does not have an offer on the table, but his agents are optimistic. Al Khelaïfi was very satisfied with his performance against Bayern and, for several weeks, he has been reflecting on what conditions to offer him so that he can continue in Paris. It will be, in any case, a short renewal - one year at the most, and with a reduced salary.
Mourinho heading to PSG?
The last of the headaches that PSG must address in the summer concerns who occupies the bench. Club sources consulted by AS reiterate that there will be no decision until the season has ended - in other words, until the beginning of June. Christophe Galtier, who was signed by Luis Campos, has not lived up to expectations and his lack of forcefulness in the dressing room, together with the team’s poor results, make it difficult to see him continuing.
On the horizon appears the figure of Mourinho. As reported by RMC Sport, Luis Campos advanced negotiations with Jorge Mendes last week to sign the current Roma coach, with whom he already worked at Real Madrid and with whom he maintains a fantastic relationship. However, Campos has not yet negotiated anything with Mou nor will he, as the Portuguese is immersed in the semi-finals of the Europa League at the moment.
The main question raised by the choice of coach is whether Qatar, or Campos, will have the last word. In 2022, the sports advisor was given full powers due to his closeness to Mbappé, but his irregular dealings in the transfer market haven’t convinced and like Galtier, he has a black mark against him in the upper echelons of Doha. Other names, such as Motta, Al Khelaïfi’s choice, or Nagelsmann, have also been mentioned as Galtier’s potential successors. An intense summer in Paris is in store, as usual.