More than a month after the resounding announcement of Kylian Mbappé's extension until 2025, the starting point for a new page of the Qatari version of PSG, the capital club finally has a reinforcement for its professional group.

At 22, the promising midfielder Vitinha signed up for five seasons with FC Porto, where his technical qualities and vision of the game opened the doors to the Portuguese selection (3 selections).

The amount of the transfer, not disclosed by PSG, is estimated by the specialized press at 40 million euros.

Trained at FC Porto and also on loan from Wolverhampton during the 2020-21 season, Vitinha has four national titles with Porto (two championships and two cups).

Vitinha with Porto against Tondela in the Portuguese Cup, May 22, 2022 in Oeiras CARLOS COSTA AFP / Archives

He also won the Youth League in 2019, the equivalent of the Champions League among young people, and reached the Euro Espoirs final in 2021 with the Portuguese Under-21s.

"Bem-vindo" (welcome), wrote PSG Thursday evening on Twitter, in a message accompanied by a clip where the number "2027" appears, the horizon of his freshly signed contract.

Expected recruits

Expected in the midfield to support the Italian Marco Verratti, Vitinha could soon be followed by his compatriot Renato Sanches (Lille), or even the Ivorian Seko Fofana, author of a good season with RC Lens in the same position, according to the specialized press.

The Portuguese, who passed his medical examination on Wednesday, also becomes the first recruit of the new sports adviser Luis Campos, also Portuguese and appointed on June 10 to replace the Brazilian sports director Leonardo, whose dismissal, recorded at the end of May after the ultimate Ligue 1 day, was never officially announced.

This signing of a young player supposed to represent the future of PSG is part of the new sports policy of the club which wants to be less "bling-bling", as promised by President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi.

PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino at a press conference on May 15, 2022 in Doha KARIM JAAFAR AFP

The latter has nevertheless still not officially confirmed Christophe Galtier as future coach, an announcement suspended from negotiations with Mauricio Pochettino to find a financial agreement allowing the departure of the Argentine coach and his staff.

Back on Monday, with or without Galtier?

Asked by AFP about the progress of these discussions, PSG did not wish to react on Thursday.

The daily Le Parisien and the media RMC Sport both announce that an agreement has been reached with the Argentinian, like the newspaper L'Equipe which evokes "a global envelope of around 10 M€ for the coach and his staff".

According to the sports press, Christophe Galtier has already visited the Camp des Loges, the PSG training center, on Thursday.

Coach Christophe Galtier during the UNFP Trophies, May 15, 2022 in Paris FRANCK FIFE AFP / Archives

Will the former Nice technician be inducted before the resumption of training for the champions of France (apart from the internationals) set for Monday July 4?

In the meantime, PSG and OGC Nice have agreed on the amount of the check paid to the Riviera club, estimated between 4 and 5 million euros according to a source familiar with the matter, to buy back the last two years of the contract of the coach crowned champion of France 2021 with Lille.

With Mbappé, Vitinha and soon Galtier, PSG has definitely launched its summer transfer window, even if other recruits are expected, such as defender Milan Skriniar (Inter Milan) or striker Gianluca Scamacca (Sassuolo).

But it will also be necessary to slim down the workforce, an operation rarely successful in recent years by the Parisian club which is struggling to persuade its undesirables to give up their comfortable salary in France and saw only its young midfielder Xavi Simons leave this summer (PSV ) and his goalkeeper Alphonse Aréola (West Ham)...

Among the possible departures is, according to the press, that of the superstar Neymar.

But the consequent duration of his engagement in Paris, where he receives large emoluments, could cool his courtiers.

© 2022 AFP