After Lille pulled off the biggest shock in Europe by beating Paris Saint-Germain to the 2020/21 Ligue 1 title, the Gallic high rollers are plotting a rapid return to the summit with a flurry of activity in the European football transfer markets.
They have won Ligue 1 seven times over the last nine seasons, three times on the bounce since their last blip in 2017, and Paris Saint-Germain are determined to bounce back again. The pre-season Ligue 1 2021 betting odds suggest they will, but domestic success will not be enough to appease the owners. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino was drafted in to bring European glory to the club and, while he failed to do so in his first season at the helm, he was caught on the hop by Lille’s impressive run of Ligue 1 2021 results in the second half of the last campaign.
So a team bejewelled by talents such as Kylian Mbappe and Neymar is being strengthened. PSG are raising the stakes and the next couple of weeks could be very interesting indeed.
Pochettino has already recruited the best European centre back of the last 15 years and
Sergio Ramos is nearing his PSG debut after a glittering career at Real Madrid. He’s not quite ready to face Augsberg in a pre-season friendly and the head coach will tread carefully with a player who missed much of last season with injury. But Ramos is an inspirational figure and, as Italian captain Giorgio Chiellini proved at Euro 2020, age is no barrier for a world class defender.
Donnarumma leaves Milan with mixed blessings
Chiellini’s Azzurri colleague Gianluigi Donnarumma has already arrived in Paris as the club’s new number one goalkeeper following his transfer from AC Milan. He was immense in Italy’s Euro 2020 campaign as Italy beat England on penalties in the final and he’s become one of the hottest properties in world football.
Donnarumma’s move to PSG has angered Milan fans who see it as an affront to the Rossoneri and moving to the rich French club is a brave step for the player. There is a lot of animosity between France and Italy following the bad tempered 2006 World Cup final which saw French talisman Zinedine Zidane sent off as Italy battled through to the title.
PSG isn’t the most popular club in France and signing an Italian megastar won’t win them many fans away from the capital city.
Could Pogba become a Parisien?
Every summer the future of Manchester United’s enigmatic midfielder Paul Pogba comes into sharp focus and in this transfer window there is no difference. Rumours have surfaced that Pochettino would be interested in bringing Pogba to Paris but he may have to sell the prized jewel and Pogba’s international team-mate, Kylian Mbappe, to balance the books (though financial fair play hasn’t previously troubled the Parisiens too much).
Les Bleus flopped badly at the Euros but there is no doubting the quality of Mbappe, and there is a school of thought that the arrival of Pogba could persuade the young striker to stay at the Parc des Princes. The SBOTOP team will be keeping a close on that one, but there are more whispers circulating, that another Galactico could soon be making his way to PSG. According to the French national press, Juventus might be considering offering Cristiano Ronaldo as a swap for PSG striker Mauro Icardi. The 28 year old Argentine hit man was prolific in his time at Inter Milan, scoring 111 goals in 188 appearances; but he has struggled to reach those heights in France, a league with rather more generous defences.
Meanwhile Juventus and PSG could be in competition for the signature of Everton striker Moise Kean. He impressed on loan at PSG last season and, having struggled to establish himself in the Premier League, he might be persuaded to sign permanently, though the Bianconeri are said to be monitoring their former protégé.
Away from Paris there is a battle to sign Lyon’s creative midfielder Houssem Aouar, who has been tracked by Premier League clubs, Liverpool, Manchester United, Spurs and Arsenal; with a fee of around £22m thought to be the asking price. And there is an imminent incoming at Nice, where Roma striker Justin Kluivert has just signed a loan deal with a view to a permanent move. The south coast club will want to improve on last season’s ninth placed finish and the Dutch forward is the calibre of player they will need to do so.
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