PSG’s summer has been slow moving so far in terms of incomings, but the outgoings have been pretty steady.
In attack, in particular, there’s been a lot going and not much coming in.
Covers.com offers a detailed breakdown of the Stake Code, and here we’ll be looking to offer a detailed breakdown of whether PSG are actually going to be stronger in attack this season.
First the outgoings – the biggest sum was an impressive €74m for Goncalo Ramos, who went to AC Milan. The Portuguese was a really useful and effective rotation striker option for the team. The price was too good to turn down, but it will be difficult to find a better player who is also willing to sit on the bench in big games.
The other striker sale was Randal Kolo Muani, who went to Juventus for €41m, with clauses that could take it beyond €50m. That’s a great sale in terms of price, and doesn’t hurt PSG at all, as RKM was on loan last season anyway and clearly had no first team place.
Kang-in Lee, another really useful rotation option attacker, has gone to to Atletico for €40m. That’s another blow to the depth Luis Enrique has at his disposal.
That might not be all – Bradley Barcola is being heavily linked with a massive move to Liverpool. Young talent Ibrahim Mbaye also looks likely to leave.
All in all, that’s a serious depletion of talent across the board at the Parc des Princes. And so far not a single first team signing has been made. Yan Diomande was going to be the star signing, but he is now on the way to Real Madrid.
The good news is that Maghnes Akliouche looks likely to sign from Monaco. But that’s not enough on it’s own. There are rumours about Ferran Torres from Barcelona, and that would be a useful signing. Right now, there’s no denying that PSG have lost really quality depth in attack and are yet to replace it.
The reality is that it’s impossible to assess the window as a whole until we know what’s going to happen with Barcola and Torres, and other potential signings.
There is still scope for this window to be one which weakens PSG significantly – but it’s also possible they come into their first game of the season looking improved even over last year’s super team. The next couple of weeks are going to be fascinating.