Dj Vnyash
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is entering a new chapter following Kylian Mbappe’s departure, and the reigning French champions have maintained a low profile as they adjust to life without their star forward. Mbappe joined Real Madrid after his contract expired in June, concluding a seven-year tenure with the Qatar-owned club, where he scored an impressive 256 goals, becoming their all-time leading scorer.
Mbappe’s exit leaves a significant gap, one so large that PSG appears to have decided that no single player could sufficiently fill it. Coach Luis Enrique will lead his team to Normandy to face Le Havre on Friday, the opening night of the new Ligue 1 season, without any high-profile replacement for Mbappe.
Despite this, PSG has been active in the summer transfer window and might still pursue a top-tier striker before the deadline. Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, who previously played in Ligue 1 for Lille, has been linked to a move to Paris, although it remains uncertain if he fits Luis Enrique’s preferred style of play.
So far, PSG has invested around 125 million euros ($132.2 million) on three players. Portuguese midfielder Joao Neves, 19, who represented his country at Euro 2024, joined from Benfica for 59.9 million euros, with potential bonuses adding another 10 million euros. The defense was bolstered by the addition of 22-year-old Ecuadorian center-back Willian Pacho from Eintracht Frankfurt for up to 45 million euros. The first summer signing was 25-year-old Russian goalkeeper Matvey Safonov from Krasnodar for approximately 20 million euros, adding competition for Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Beyond Mbappe, PSG has retained the core of last season’s team and integrated Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Moscardo, who was signed in January but remained on loan at Corinthians for six months. French wingers Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola, who impressed last season, are expected to continue their form, while the hope is that Randal Kolo Muani and Goncalo Ramos—who scored 23 goals between them last season—will step up to help fill the void left by Mbappe.
The era of signing veteran stars like Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos is over, with Marquinhos, 30, likely to be the oldest player in the starting lineup this season. The only notable figure to don a PSG shirt this summer alongside president Nasser al-Khelaifi has been NBA star Kevin Durant, who invested in the club.
Luis Enrique acknowledged in May, shortly after PSG completed a domestic double by winning the French Cup, that Mbappe is irreplaceable by any single player. “We can’t replace him with one player. Forget it. There is no substitute for Kylian Mbappe,” he admitted. “We will need to replace him with the team as a whole, and maybe with four, five, or six new signings.”
PSG’s transfer activities are likely not finished, but for now, the club is easing into the new season. Their low profile extends beyond the transfer market, as they have had a quiet pre-season, avoiding energy-draining tours to the United States or Asia. Instead, Luis Enrique kept the squad at their training base outside Paris, playing only two friendly matches—draws against Austrian champions Sturm Graz and RB Leipzig in Germany.
With many players returning late from Euro 2024, the Copa America, or the Olympics, Luis Enrique likely saw little need for additional matches. The goal is to have his team in peak condition for the Champions League in September, by which time a new attacking option may be in place.
