One of Paris Saint-Germain’s top priorities this offseason will be signing a quality right-back to replace outgoing Thomas Meunier.
There’s been so much speculation in recent weeks and some transfer rumors are a bit more realistic than others.
In a recent piece from Le Parisien, they break down all of the potential targets as well as name a few that should be crossed off the list due to sky-high price tag.
Too Expensive
PSG supporters who want to see Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal, or Achraf Hakimi can go ahead and forget about it. They will all cost well over €50 million and the Ligue 1 champions can’t spend that amount especially if they pay €70 million to retain Mauro Icardi once his loan expires from Inter Milan.
Recommended Right-Backs
Ridle Baku is a player that has popped up in the rumor mill as a player PSG might be interested in and according to Patrick Guillou, beIN Sports consultant and former player, he is a player that “has enormous potential.” Guillou also recommends PSG take a look at Stefan Lainer at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Both players could likely be signed for a fee that won’t break the bank.
Sensational Serie A
We know that Leonardo, PSG’s sporting director, loves to scour Serie A for talent, and the report from Le Parisien names several that could make the jump from Italy to France. Mattia De Sciglio at Juventus FC definitely seems like a player who could be on the move but FC Barcelona may beat PSG to the 27-year-old as they hope to work out a swap deal with the Turin-based club.
The French publication also quotes agent Yvan Le Mée who believes Atalanta’s Hans Hateboer has been the best right-back this season in Serie A. Hateboer’s teammate, Timothy Castagne, is another player who has been rumored to be of interest to Leonardo.
Finally, Lazio’s Adam Marusic is a potential transfer target who would be an improvement over Colin Dagba and Thilo Kehrer at PSG. Le Parisien puts his fee at €20 million, which should be doable once the transfer window opens.
Very Little Interest
Le Parisien indicates that they don’t believe Ligue 1 products Léo Dubois (Olympique Lyonnais) and Hamari Traoré (Stade de Rennais) will be arriving in the French capital any time soon unless its as an opponent.
Potential Pereira Signing?
For me, the ideal right-back signing would be Ricardo Pereira at Leicester City FC. The former OGC Nice defender has complimented PSG in the past, calling them the biggest club in France and that you never know what will happen in the future. While there’s been some flirting from Pereira’s side and PSG supporters would love to have him, the fact remains that he will cost at least €30 million according to the Le Parisien report.
Leonardo has no shortage of options but he has to consider the desire of the player to want to be in Paris and Ligue 1 as well as negotiate a transfer fee that won’t compound the financial losses from the coronavirus.
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