Generally, at this time of the year, we tell you live every day the progress of the Paris transfer window, by far the most interesting in France each summer. Because with the means of PSG, we fantasize about half of the players of Europe in the blue and red jersey, even those who might seem elusive.
But this summer, coronavirus forces, the site is more complex. First because the current season is not over, and then because PSG like all the other big clubs will run out of cash. In an interview with the JDD, Leonardo promised a transfer window "without bling bling". We are trying to see what it could all look like.
Objective 1: Make sure you can finish the season well
The big announcement from Leonardo in his interview with JDD was that PSG was not going to keep Thiago Silva and Edinson Cavani next season. It is now recorded, but the said next season will not start until after the "Final 8" of the Champions League, towards the end of August. Before that, no recruit will be qualified to play. Paris will therefore have to extend the two players by two months, whose contract ends on June 30, to ensure that it is competitive in Lisbon.
"The Champions League is still in the crosshairs and the idea is to continue competing with them until the end of August," Leonardo told the JDD . If the two players also seem to agree, the example of Timo Werner in Germany calls for caution: the player from Leipzig, whose transfer to Chelsea has been announced for next summer, has been removed from the European lists of the German club, yet also qualified for the "Final 8". Same situation for Lucas Tousart, on loan from Hertha Berlin, who will not end the European season with OL.
If Fifa has accepted temporary amendments to players' contracts allowing a short extension until the end of the season, the LFP is not yet in line with these regulations and does not currently allow this exceptional contract extension . She could do it in the next few days.
Objective 2: Manage the "purge"
In addition to Thiago Silva and Cavani, PSG will drop three other players at the end of the contract: Thomas Meunier, Layvin Kurzawa and Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting. While it is not impossible that some will also be extended for two more months, their life in Paris will not - normally - exceed 23 August. This will also undoubtedly be the case for the two youngsters, Aouchiche and Kouassi, who have chosen not to sign pro at PSG.
A solution will also have to be found for Areola, who has returned from a loan from Real Madrid, and who will certainly not be satisfied with a place for lining Navas in the cages. And why not let slip one or two players not really used to make some cash? Draxler, Paredes and even Herrera have not been particularly driving forces for the PSG season this season…
Leonardo can therefore roughly roughly count on a dozen TTC departures. Or about a third of the workforce.
Objective n ° 3: Recruit targeted (and cheap)
And if all are not necessarily intended to be replaced, the workforce currently has holes. You have to “be creative”, explains Leonardo, because “nobody can spend large sums. Not even us. " Especially that the PSG has already dropped 50 million euros to exercise the option to purchase its attacker Mauro Icardi. Here are the targeted positions:
- a right lateral holder
- a left side replacing
- a substitute goalkeeper
- a replacement center
- a central defender able to replace Thiago Silva
- a possible medium
It's a lot. If we can trust Leonardo can find good deals for replacement positions, the others may cost an arm. Especially when the rumors evoke, in defense, the names of the Hernandez brothers, Lucas and Théo, listed at 80 and 50 million euros. Or the Milinkovic-Savic community, for which Lazio would ask for almost 100 million euros. Not exactly the definition of a summer without bling bling.
If we follow a principle of reality and necessity, Leonardo will surely be satisfied to complete his transfer window with the two side he wants. For the rest, he can find internal solutions.
Objective 4: Keep and extend Mbappé or Neymar (or both)
This time, we should spend a much quieter summer on the Neymar front. From France or Brazil, rumors of the player's entourage assure that he should be Parisian next season, and anyway no one will have enough cash this summer to convince PSG to sell the Brazilian. Especially since the latter was still well reconciled with the club and its supporters on this first part of the season. So much so that one can imagine an extension of his contract?
We are not there yet but Leonardo is thinking about it. Like Kylian Mbappé, whom he considers to be "the future of the club". “They still have two years of contract and we think rather of the after with them. " This summer should be able to allow it to move forward on these two major future projects of PSG.
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