While Kylian Mbappe’s free transfer to Real Madrid left its mark on PSG, it served above all as a lesson for the Parisian club’s management. A lesson that the latter seems to have fully absorbed.
At least, that’s what the growing possibility of Gianluigi Donnarumma leaving the reigning European champions this summer suggests.
An unlikely scenario, given the Italian’s crucial role in Paris Saint-Germain’s conquest of the Champions League. However, the difficulty the various parties are having in agreeing on the terms of a contract extension (the one currently binding Donnarumma to PSG runs until 2026) makes it seem more and more likely every day.
The recruitment team’s growing interest in Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier is further proof of this.
And while it’s certainly the most talked about, for the simple reason that it concerns the main actor in the Ligue 1, the Parisian goalkeepers’ case is far from being the only one to animate the French transfer market.
So much so that since the start of the transfer window, only Auxerre has not been linked to it. With Donovan Leon confirmed as first-choice goalkeeper and Theo De Percin as his backup, the Yonne-based club is moving forward with confidence.
Olympique de Marseille and Toulouse FC also share this sense of certainty. However, unlike AJA, both clubs have been linked with certain rumours in recent weeks.
The former with regard to Jeffrey de Lange, number two in the hierarchy, announced on the LOSC books, the latter concerning its number one, Guillaume Restes, whose name has already been associated with several clubs — without any of them having gone on the offensive for the moment.
And should the promising international decide to leave, Les Violets would join the list of clubs still searching for their future first-choice manager.
A list that notably includes Olympique Lyonnais, who saw Lucas Perri leave the Rhone for Leeds United, Stade Brestois, who lost Marco Bizot to Aston Villa, and AS Monaco, who are reportedly close to signing Lucas Hradecky from Bayer Leverkusen.
Such gaps raise questions that some of their peers, who have been reinforced over the past few weeks, do not lament.
Take Le Havre, for example, which, after losing Arthur Desmas and Mathieu Gorgelin, immediately bounced back by securing the services of Mory Diaw and Lionel Mpasi. A scenario almost identical to that of RC Lens, which, despite the departures of Matthew Ryan and Herve Koffi (who left for Angers), managed to fall back on its feet by signing young Robin Risser and experienced Regis Gurtner.
OGC Nice, which saw Marcin Bulka take over at NEOM SC, are also among the top performers, having managed to replace their first-choice goalkeeper with Yehvann Diouf, who arrived from Stade de Reims.
For its part, Strasbourg was once again able to take advantage of its special relationship with Chelsea to strengthen its squad, filling the void left by Dorde Petrovic with the arrival of Mike Penders, also on loan from the London club.
So many moves that speak volumes about the priority clubs are giving to strengthening a strategic position in one of the most difficult markets to navigate.
