PSG is advancing its pawns on the transfer market. 24 hours after the official announcement of his first recruit, Russian goalkeeper Matvey Safonov (25 years old), the reigning French champion is moving forward on less advanced files. A few days ago, we learned that Luis Enrique and Luis Campos had made João Neves (1m74, 66 kg) their priority in midfield. The coach and sports management believe that there are gaps to fill in this sector of play where Vitinha, Zaire-Emery and Fabian Ruiz appeared essential in the second half of the season.
The natural replacements Manuel Ugarte, Carlos Soler and Lee Kang-in seemed more behind, when Cher Ndour was completely loaned out in the winter transfer window. Even the young Senny Mayulu was able to do well at the end of the season by sometimes being lined up in the midfield, like against Lorient or Metz. João Neves may also be very young (19 years old, 2 years older than Mayulu), he is of a completely different caliber. After his first appearances last season, he became unstoppable during this exercise, to the point of being called up to play in the Euro.
PSG has many assets
Used 55 times by Roger Schmidt this season (3 goals, 2 assists), the man who is also among the 100 nominated for the 2024 Golden Boy is already considered a great hope for world football in his position. Make no mistake, PSG is far from being alone in this matter. Manchester United, in the midst of restructuring the workforce, loves his profile and has significant resources at his disposal. To attract him, you’ll have to pull out all the stops. The release clause of his contract (2028) is set at €120 million. An accessible amount for MU, as for PSG.
The battle promises to be tough, but the people of the Paris region are increasingly optimistic about this issue. In Bola even estimates in his columns that they “gaining ground”. PSG has not yet made an official proposal but Benfica believes that an offer will reach them very quickly in order to get ahead of the competition embodied by the Red Devils. The contacts with Luis Campos, the good relations between the management and the presence of numerous Lusitanians in the workforce (Vitinha, Gonçalo Ramos, Nuno Mendes, Danilo) are all assets. The Águias would like to keep João Neves for one more season but the latest salary proposal did not satisfy the young midfielder. He knows he can earn much more elsewhere.
