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Desire Doue has now chosen PSG over Bayern Munich. It’s a significant move for PSG and a bit of a coup in what’s been quite a tough summer transfer window so far, not just for PSG but for French clubs in general with the financial situation in Ligue 1 relating to the TV deal. Whether you’re PSG or Marseille or anyone else, it’s been difficult to get the best talent coming in.
Some big names, for example Leny Yoro, who PSG really prioritised, have been a challenge to target in this market, and that’s seen PSG pivot in recent weeks, instead signing Willian Pacho from Eintracht Frankfurt. So it’s now a real boost to see Doue choosing PSG over what looks quite an exciting Bayern project overall when you see the calibre of players they’ve added this summer.
PSG are happy that the Doue deal looks to be on the right track, even if it’s not quite a done deal just yet. It is getting closer to completion and I believe PSG and Rennes have reached an agreement over terms, which should see that deal happen in the very near future.
It’s a boost for PSG as well because it’s further strengthening that French contingent in their squad, which is something that they would like to build on in the next couple of weeks as well with some of the players they’re targeting. We’ll see soon about specific names, but my understanding is that they’re keen to strengthen the depth of their squad, particularly with full-backs, for example.
So, they’ve done well to beat Bayern to Doue, who looked fantastic in Ligue 1 last season, and this is just one of what they hope will be a number of French talents coming in before the end of the window.
I think something we can also expect from PSG before the deadline is an effort to move on some of their undesirable players. There are some individuals they’d ideally like to move on, such as Carlos Soler and Nordi Mukiele – those are two high-profile examples. Danilo Pereira is also in a similar situation.
Milan Skriniar, meanwhile, is someone who PSG could move on if there were to be a suitable offer for him. I think PSG would be quite happy to cash in on him, but it’s been difficult at times for PSG to drum up the right kind of interest. You can also see this as they try to do a deal involving Manuel Ugarte and Jadon Sancho, with Fabrizio Romano confirming here that Manchester United currently view the asking price for Ugarte as too high.
So, PSG will focus on trying to move those players on and it could be useful for them to do so before bringing anyone else in, but there will also still be an effort to bring a couple more individuals in that can improve the squad depth. One name to watch could be Bradley Locko of Brest – a full-back PSG have been looking at in recent weeks. There has also been reported interest in Lutsharel Geertruida, but he’s of high interest to a number of clubs, with Aston Villa believed to be quite close to doing a deal for him.
PSG are monitoring the situations of what I would call versatile players, so players who can offer strength in depth in a number of positions but who wouldn’t necessarily be being signed with a view to going into the starting XI.
Jonathan David’s situation remains a curious one that seems to repeat itself almost every year, and he always ends up staying with Lille. There is genuine interest in David, he regularly attracts a number of suitors, but I think the difference this summer is that Lille look like they’re on course to qualify for the Champions League group stage.
If they do that, it’s a big plus for Lille in general, but I think it would also help them top keep hold of David, despite the links we’ve seen at various points this summer with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham. I think Lille are wary, though, of the player wanting to move on, and they’ll want to avoid a situation whereby he enters the final twelve months of his contract.
Still, it’s been a tricky market this summer and Lille need David’s goal-scoring presence in their side, so it’s a delicate situation. When asked about it after Lille progressed past Fenerbahce in midweek, he said he would still be interested in playing in the Champions League group stage, which could happen with Lille, so I think what happens between now and the end of the window will depend on which clubs come forward and what kind of offers are put on the table.
Overall, though, I think Lille will be less tempted to sell if they have the windfall that comes with playing in the Champions League group stage. It is possible that Chelsea or Tottenham could revisit their interest, but it’s tricky to imagine Lille actioning a sale right at this moment when they have that tie against Slavia Prague coming up for the next round of qualifiers for the Champions League.
This could be one that is worth keeping an eye on, as the timing of all this means it could be pushed right up until the end of the transfer window. I wouldn’t rule out David staying at Lille, but at the same time I also don’t necessarily expect him to be more open to signing a new contract there if they get into the Champions League group stage, so his future is probably still something that’s going to need resolving.
I think France did well at the Olympics, getting to the final and coming away with a silver medal, which has to go down as a solid achievement. Still, I also think they had the talent to go all the way and win it and they shouldn’t have lost out to Spain in that final.
Still, making it to the final was the sort of minimum expectation for Thierry Henry’s side, and I think he deserves credit in his coaching role for creating such a united group when there were so many players who were either made unavailable, or who withdrew from the squad.
I think Henry did well in that aspect, but even so you’d expect a France squad with this kind of talent to have it in them to go on a deep run, so I don’t think it’s necessarily all down to the coach, because it really was one of the most talented groups in the entire tournament.
At times, I think France had it in them to be more impressive, though of course in a tournament it’s results that count, and they did make it to the final, though I think having made the final that they should have gone all the way. I think to a degree Henry’s reputation will be a little restored, but not necessarily enough for a big club job.
Henry had been linked with the USMNT role, though that now looks set to go to Mauricio Pochettino, but perhaps that’s more the kind of job that could be realist for Henry next. It will be interesting to see what offers arrive for the former Arsenal captain, and where he figures in terms of future candidates for the senior French national team given that Zinedine Zidane remains the major favourite to take over from Didier Deschamps after the 2026 World Cup.
