Paris Saint-Germain are prioritising signing both Joao Neves and Victor Osimhen, with the reigning Ligue 1 champions set to spend over €200m this summer.
Head coach Luis Enrique has an opportunity to spend big after already making around €225m from Kylian Mbappe’s departure via a mixture of forgone loyalty bonuses and saved wages. The final settlement is still being discussed even though the 25-year-old has already been unveiled as a new Real Madrid player.
The France captain has a long-standing agreement with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi not to leave the club out of pocket by exiting on a free transfer. As a result, Mbappe has effectively agreed to ‘pay’ his former employers a fee in the absence of Real Madrid doing so. PSG valued Mbappe at close to €150m 12 months ago, when they were prepared to sell him.
As part of a pre-planned move, the club have withheld Mbappe’s wages from April until the end of his contract in June, whilst a settlement is finalised. Once this is done, along with the resolution of the French TV rights, PSG will have a clearer picture of just how big they can spend.
Top Target Neves Keen to Head to Parc Des Princes
Teenager has given green light to complete move
PSG’s top target is Neves, and the 19-year-old midfielder has already verbally agreed terms. Benfica began the window asking for his €120m release clause to be paid in full, but PSG believe they can strike a deal around the €75m mark, as GMS revealed in June. Talks between PSG and Benfica are currently progressing, and a formal written offer is likely before the month is out.
Neves’ arrival in Paris could prove good news for Manchester United, even though they have tracked the Benfica star as well. It will potentially mean the departure of Uruguayan midfielder Manuel Ugarte.
The 23-year-old only joined PSG from Sporting last summer and that’s why they are in no rush to sell, but should offers arrive around the €60m mark then the club will sanction a sale.
Joao Neves’ statistical averages per 90 minutes during the 2023/24 domestic campaign compared to Manuel Ugarte | ||
|---|---|---|
Joao Neves | Manuel Ugarte | |
Pass completion percentage | 88.5 | 91.2 |
Percentage of aerial duels won | 58.6 | 53.8 |
Shot-creating actions | 3.00 | 1.77 |
Blocks | 1.91 | 1.26 |
Shots | 1.13 | 0.47 |
Statistics correct as of 18/07/2024 | ||
Manchester United will be hoping Ugarte’s price drops as the window progresses. Although Old Trafford sources insist they are yet to place a bid, PSG ones insist two verbal offers have been rejected, both under €45m.
Bayern Munich are also tracking Ugarte, and it’s believed that Aston Villa also enquired before deciding instead on Everton’s Amadou Onana, who is set to join for around £50m.
PSG are also in the market for a flagship striker, but it’s slightly less of a pressing issue given forwards Randal Kolo Muani, Bradley Barcola, Goncalo Ramos, Ousmane Dembele and Marco Asensio are all still at the club.
Besiktas hold a concrete interest in Asensio, while Atletico Madrid could consider Kolo Muani to replace AC Milan-bound Alvaro Morata. PSG are prepared to sell a forward, but would expect big money for Kolo Muani after they paid €90m to Eintracht Frankfurt only last summer.
Ligue 1 Champions Have Made Osimhen Approach
Nigeria international is long-standing target for Enrique
Osimhen is a long-standing target and an approach has already been made on the player side. Napoli still insist that Osimhen’s €120m release clause must be met, but PSG will test that resolve. Osimhen has a verbal pact with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis that he can leave this summer and is likely to ask the club to drop their asking price.
Another PSG target, Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez, could be available for around €80-85m and they are hoping Osimhen isn’t significantly more than that ballpark figure.
Alvarez will speak to Sky Blues boss Pep Guardiola this summer to understand his expected amount of game time. The Premier League champions don’t want to sell, but Guardiola has said many times he tries not to stand in the way of players when they wish to depart.
It’s understood both head coach Enrique and sporting director Luis Campos see Osimhen and Alvarez as excellent options, but more legwork is being done on the Nigeria international striker at this stage. Should a PSG marksman depart, club-to-club negotiations may quickly become more advanced, which in turn could trigger Napoli to bid for Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku.
There is no indication yet that Chelsea are going to try and leverage Lukaku to get Osimhen themselves, but should the total cost of signing the 2022/23 Serie A winner drop, the Blues might yet reconsider.
For now, PSG’s biggest threat for Osimhen is Saudi Arabia. Napoli are hoping dealmakers commit to paying Osimhen’s release clause, thus forcing PSG or another European suitor to match it.
Osimhen rejected three offers from Al-Hilal 12 months ago, but has since admitted he was tempted by the switch to the Saudi Pro League. Multiple Saudi clubs are still keen on Osimhen, including PIF-controlled Al-Ahli.
Osimhen will be offered €1m-per-week with extra bonuses on top should he give any encouragement that he’s now ready to switch to Saudi Arabia. With PSG intent on a big spend in the second half of the summer, the Saudi window opening from July 17 and Osimhen wanting clarity, it’s likely his future is resolved sooner rather than later now.
All statistics courtesy of FBref and Transfermarkt