Predicting Paris Saint-Germain's January Transfer Window
With two signings already completed, we examine other moves PSG could make to strengthen its squad in during the winter window.
Paris Saint-Germain looks likely to be an early mover this January transfer window, with two players lined up to arrive as soon as the business period opens its doors. Sao Paulo’s Lucas Beraldo and Corinthians’ Gabriel Moscardo are Parc des Princes-bound after Luis Campos opted to strike early, having terminated his collaboration with Spanish outfit Celta Vigo recently, which leaves him able to focus solely on the French champions. The Portuguese transfer hound has sniffed out two highly sought-after talents in Brazil, and they look likely to strengthen Luis Enrique’s squad from the first game of 2024, the Trophée des Champions vs. Toulouse in Paris in early January.
Beraldo will boost the defense with central and left-sided capabilities while Moscardo is seen as one of the midfielders of the future and has already been the subject of interest from numerous top clubs and is also likened to Arsenal and England star Declan Rice. However, January, as has been the case for a number of years now, is likely to revolve around the question of Kylian Mbappé’s future and what happens next with the French superstar. Is the 25-year-old going to stay with the Ligue 1 leaders, or will he finally make the long-anticipated move to Spain with Real Madrid? The answer is unlikely to arrive immediately, so Les Parisiens must push forward without focusing on that.
We look at what might impact any potential future business by PSG ahead of the winter window and whether or not things are likely to be done and dusted with Beraldo and Moscardo’s arrivals.
Nuno Mendes
Whether or not PSG moves for another player in January once the Brazilian pair are sorted depends greatly upon the Portugal international. Mendes has not played yet this season and was a key figure up until his injury, which eventually required surgery. Luis Enrique has not yet been able to call upon the 21-year-old in a competitive game, and there is no guarantee that he will be back on the field by the end of January despite that being the current hope. Presnel Kimpembe is unlikely to feature much, if at all, in 2024, so Beraldo is needed immediately to provide another central defensive option as well as a possible left-back alternative to Lucas Hernández.
If Mendes is unable to recover in time to feature before the transfer window closes, expect PSG to activate one of their leads with Leeds United’s Pascal Struijk, Stade Rennais’ Adrien Truffert, FC Nantes’ Quentin Merlin and Stade Brestois 29’s Bradley Locko all possibilities. Struijk’s moment has likely passed with Beraldo arriving, given that the Leeds man was considered because of his ability to fill both roles, so Truffert, Merlin, and Locko are probably more likely targets now, but only if Mendes is not close to a return, or suffers another setback. Truffert and Merlin have been discussed by me in a previous column, but Locko has emerged as an interesting new prospect given his role in Brest’s impressive season and the fact that he hails from Ivry-sur-Seine in the Paris region.
Hugo Ekitiké, Keylor Navas and Layvin Kurzawa
These are the three players that PSG would willingly separate with this January, with the French attacker the priority after his role in nearly jeopardizing Randal Kolo Muani’s summer arrival from Eintracht Frankfurt and Premier League interest still existing. Navas left last winter and spent the second half of the season on loan at Nottingham Forest in the EPL, while both he and Kurzawa are on expiring contracts that will not be renewed beyond this summer. Add to that list Sergio Rico and Alexandre Letellier’s deals winding down, and PSG will look to save what funds they can by moving the 37-year-old Navas on as soon as possible, given how unlikely Kurzawa is to attract interest, having played so little for two years now.
Carlos Soler and Nordi Mukiele
While PSG wants to move Ekitiké, Navas, and Kurzawa on, there is no guarantee that those three players want to and will leave in January, while other members of Luis Enrique’s squad could push for moves of their own. Carlos Soler and Nordi Mukiele have not played as much as either would have hoped to, and the Spaniard had been targeting a January return to La Liga in search of greater playing time. However, PSG is unlikely to grant that departure because of the situation that international competitions at the start of 2024 are about to create for the club.
Achraf Hakimi and Kang-In Lee
With Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations and South Korea at the AFC Asian Cup, PSG will be without both Hakimi and Lee for the best part of a month and possibly longer, which not only compromises Ligue 1 games but also potentially the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie with Real Sociedad. Given these two probably being out for at least four weeks around the time of the transfer window, letting Soler or Mukiele go makes little to no sense, given that their game time is just about to get a significant uptick. While other scenarios could impact that, the most logical solution is that the Spaniard and Frenchman stay and provide depth before being considered for a move from this summer, possibly along with the likes of Danilo Pereira, who is almost exclusively a utility man now.
Juan Bernat and Renato Sanches
Two of PSG’s loan stars are in increasingly difficult positions, with Sanches’ relationship with Roma boss Jose Mourinho publicly deteriorating and Bernat currently injured while on loan with Benfica and yet to get through even 90 minutes. Both could feasibly be sent back to Paris this coming month with no guarantee that either will be fit for use for the second half of the season, especially as Luis Enrique was not keen to work with them upon arrival last summer. Should that happen, PSG’s squad could bloat again, and the UCL selection might need to be reshuffled to make sure that every position is covered with sufficient depth.