PSG new signings: Confirmed ins and outs for summer 2023

Despite putting together one of the most exciting forward lines in football history, PSG’s wait for that elusive first UEFA Champions League title goes on.

Their summer business so far suggests they’re now likely to take a different approach as they target European glory and it could turn out to be a real summer of change in Paris.

They already have a new coach with Luis Enrique, most recently boss of the Spanish national team, arriving in the French capital. He has won the Champions League as a coach, guiding Barcelona to the trophy in 2015 and like all PSG coaches, will ultimately be judged on his ability to challenge the European elite in the Champions League.

We’ll keep an eye on everything that happens at PSG this summer with all the confirmed signings and potential deals. The confirmed PSG new signings and departures are as below.

PSG new signings: Summer 2023 arrivals

Manuel Ugarte

Never reluctant to splash the cash, PSG have already spent a cool €60 million on Sporting’s highly rated defensive midfielder Manuel Ugarte. The Uruguayan was also a target for Chelsea but after the West London club pulled out of the race, PSG were presented with a clear path to land the 22-year-old. It has been a rapid rise for Ugarte, who only became a fixture in the Sporting side last season, but he has impressed many with his tenacious tackling, as well as his quality on the ball.

Hugo Ekitiké

The 21-year-old striker Hugo Ekitiké spent last season on loan in Paris, but could only score three goals in 12 Ligue 1 starts. He joins the club on a permanent deal from Reims this summer with the obligatory move costing in the region of €28.5 million. However it’s unclear whether he will be a PSG player next season. After a disappointing campaign, the French giants may decide to quickly cut their losses if they can find an interested party.

Marco Asensio

One man who should have a big role to play for PSG during the 2023/24 season is Marco Asensio. The 27-year-old opted to leave Real Madrid on a free transfer in the face of fierce competition for starting roles at the Santiago Bernabéu. PSG are believed to have beaten off competition from Aston Villa for his signature and they are getting a player who offers a genuine goal threat from wide or attacking midfield positions.

Milan Skriniar

PSG have also snapped up another free agent with the experienced Milan Skriniar joining from Inter. The imposing centre-back should be in the peak years of his career but was an unused substitute when Inter lost 1-0 to Manchester City in June’s Champions League Final having struggled with back trouble during the latter half of the 2022/23 season. He had previously been a fixture in the Italian’s club central defence throughout most of his six years in Milan. PSG will be hoping they can get him fit and firing again next term.

Kang-in Lee

The prospect of Kang-in Lee signing for PSG would have seemed highly unlikely twelve months ago. The Korean was struggling to hold down a regular first team place for La Liga strugglers Mallorca at the time, but enjoyed a breakthrough 2022/23 season in Spain. 6 goals and 6 assists was an excellent return in a defensively minded side with the 22 year old the chief creative force for the Balearic Island team. He moves to France in a €22m deal and it’s a big opportunity for the attacking midfielder to showcase his skills on a bigger stage.

Lucas Hernandez

27-year-old center-back Lucas Hernandez is the latest player to fall victim to Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s charm. The French giants sealed the deal on the 9^th of July. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Bavarian club will receive a whopping €40m for their player, as well as some negotiated add-ons.

Lucas Hernandez arrives on a five-year deal, which only proves the level of faith coach Enrique has in the player. Lucas Hernandez is definitely one for the future and it will be interesting to see if he can fill in Segio Ramos’ shoes.

Previously, Lucas Hernandez played for Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich. For his previous club, Lucas Hernandez made 74 official appearances, but he failed to score even once. Maybe his stay in Paris will be a bit more productive.

Arnau Tenas

Arnau Tenas is just one of the many Catalan players to make the switch from Barcelona to Paris. The 22-year-old goalkeeper will spend the next three seasons at PSG waiting for a good opportunity to outshine goalkeeper-in-chief Gianluigi Donnarumma. Arnau Tenas joins Barcelona on a free transfer, as his deal with Blaugrana expired earlier last month.

Goncalo Ramos

Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s lavish spending continues with a massive €80m bid for Benfica’s Ramos. Goncalo made a name for himself with the Portuguese giants, as he scored 30 goals in 64 games since 2020. However, it was his sensational World Cup display that caught the eye of Europe’s top managers and clubs. He scored the first hat-trick during the Qatar World Cup in the match against Switzerland. And when your skills are enough to bench a prolific goalscorer such as Cristiano Ronaldo, you receive a call from Hamad Al Thani.

Initially, Goncalo Ramos will go on a season-long loan at PSG, but the deal obligates PSG to buy the 22-year-old for €80m. It’s interesting to see that the offer includes a €65m fixed price plus €15m in add-ons.

Ousmane Dembele

Ever since he joined Barcelona on a €105m deal back in 2017, Ousmane Dembele has been sporadically performing well for the Catalan giants. He never really clicked into the gear Barcelona’s fans were demanding of him and throughout his stay at Nou Camp, injuries followed him. In a whopping 185 games for the legendary club, Dembele scored only 40 and assisted 43 times. Not the statistics a €105m-rated winger should have after five years.

It comes as no surprise that Dembele opted to swap Barcelona for Paris. Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani made Ousmane an offer he simply couldn’t refuse, and now we already saw Dembele’s official debut with the PSG jersey.

Ousmane Dembele joins PSG on a €50m deal, as the French team decided to trigger his release clause. Barcelona’s efforts to keep the razor-sharp winger proved futile, and now coach Xavi will have to find solutions in the attack sooner rather than later.

PSG’s trio up front now looks scary good with Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and Goncalo Ramos leading the charge. Despite the unfortunate draw versus Toulouse, these three have the required arsenal to get results.

Xavi Simmons

The former PSG starlet has a second chance to make things right. After having one hell of a season defending PSV’s jersey, PSG owner Hamad Al Thani opted to trigger the buy-back clause, which was standing at €6m.

Xavi Simmons joined PSG on a four-year contract and immediately left on a season-long loan at Red Bull Leipzig. The talented midfielder will have to prove his worth in the Bundesliga before returning to Ligue 1. However, if he can top the 19 goals and eight assists in 34 games with PSV, he’ll surely have a bright future in Paris as well.

Cher Ndour

19-year-old Ndour is one of the latest players to boost coach Luis Enrique’s team. The former Brescia and Atalanta youngster proved he’s one for the future by playing 57 games for Benfica’s B team, scoring on five occasions.

PSG were quick to react before the Portuguese club could offer him another contract. Cher Ndour arrives in Paris on a five-year contract, which speaks volumes about the level of confidence coach Enrique has in him to be a difference-maker for the club in the near future.

Randal Kolo Muani – Eintracht Frankfurt

After refusing to train and play for Eintracht Frankfurt two days before the extremely important game against Levski Sofia in the Conference League playoff, Randal Kolo Muani’s desire to leave Deutsche Bank Park was fulfilled by Eintracht’s board. The men in charge had no other option but to sell their star player to French giants PSG.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Randal Kolo Muani is now the 7^th-most expensive departure in Bundesliga history. PSG have reportedly spent a whopping €75m on the up-and-coming forward, with another €15m in add-ons also negotiated between the two clubs. Randal Kolo Muani’s deal with PSG is a four-year commitment but there’s always the possibility of prolonging his stay in Paris should he manage to bring class to PSG’s attack.

President Nasser Al-Khelaifi added that the board worked extremely hard to pull off this amazing deal and that he’s happy to have a proud Frenchman leading PSG’s attack.

After spending barely a season with Eintracht Frankfurt, Randal caught the eye of Europe’s top clubs. During his 32 Bundesliga games, Muani bagged 15 goals and supplied teammates with 11 assists. Hopefully, his partnership with Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele will be just as productive.

Bradley Barcola – Lyon

It seems that president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is keen on creating a homogenous club in Paris. Randal Kolo Muani, Kylian Mbappe, and Ousmane Dembele will be leading the charge in PSG’s games in Ligue 1, while French wonderkid Bradley Barcola will be the one to cause mayhem on the right side of the midfield.

On the 1^st of September, PSG’s board announced that the club-to-club negotiations with Ligue 1’s Lyon have gone well and that the two clubs agreed that €45m for the 20-year-old defender is a price that works for both sides.

Seeing as his market value is set at €18, PSG were generous to provide Lyon with a €45m pay for their player’s services. However, you can’t deny the fact that Barcola is definitely one for the future. Bradley signed a five-year contract with PSG and expressed his ambition to make a name for himself at Parc des Princes.

During his two-year spell with Lyon, Bradley Barcola made a total of 37 Ligue 1 appearances, scoring on five occasions and assisting nine times.

PSG’s transfer departures

Leo Messi – Inter Miami

Argentina and Barcelona legend Leo Messi arrived in Paris to great fanfare in the summer of 2021. However, his time in France was anything but a fairytale with PSG failing to make it past the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League as Messi’s relationship with the supporters soured to the point that some fans booed him after missing a training session for an unapproved trip to Saudi Arabia earlier this year. The 36-year-old’s time in France is now over with Messi joining MLS side Inter Miami on a free transfer.

Sergio Ramos – Released

Another big-name arrival in 2021, Sergio Ramos also departs this summer after a mixed spell in the French capital. With injuries plaguing him in recent years, the legendary Spanish centre-back could only make eight starts in Ligue 1 during his first season in Paris, but was healthier last term, making 33 league appearances. Ramos was also an ever-present in the Champions League. Skriniar will most likely take his place in the PSG defence while a move overseas appears likely for Ramos, with Inter Miami among the clubs linked.

El Chadaille Bitshiabu – Red Bull Leipzig

Red Bull Leipzig saw something in PSG’s 18-year-old defender. That’s why the Bulls offered a whopping €15m for his services. It may not seem like much, but €15m for a player who has only a couple of professional games in his career does seem like a lot of money. El Chadaille will make a name for himself in the Bundesliga, as he sealed a five-year contract with Red Bull Leipzig.

Mauro Icardi – Galatasaray

Mauro Icardi, 30, was deemed unneeded by PSG’s board ever since he joined the club in 2019. He made 64 official appearances for the team from Paris, but only scored on 23 occasions. A lot more was expected of the Argentine finisher, as he previously bagged a whopping 111 goals for Inter Milan.

Now, PSG finally got rid of him as it was Galatasaray who offered a €10m deal for his services. Mauro Icardi will be earning a net salary of €6m per year for the next four seasons. We just have to wait and see if the club from Istanbul made the right investment in the 30-year-old.

Junior Dina Ebimbe – Eintracht Frankfurt

With only 10 official games with the PSG jersey, it’s clear that Junior Dina Ebimbe isn’t going to make a breakthrough into PSG’s starting XI. It’s Eintracht Frankfurt to the rescue, as the Eagles offered Al Thani a total of €6.50 for the 22-year-old’s services. Junior Dina Ebimbe penned a five-year partnership with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Neymar – Al-Hilal

Without a doubt, Neymar’s transfer to Al-Hilal was the biggest surprise we saw during the transfer window of the 2023 summer. The Brazilian magician was deemed unworthy to wear PSG’s jersey next season, and Al Thani was more than happy to accept Al-Hilal’s €90m offer for his services.

Neymar joined Al-Hilal on a two-year deal and expressed his desire once his contract with the Saudi Pro League team ends, to make a sensational return to European football. He was linked with a possible move to Camp Nou at the end of the summer but it seems that the Catalan club can’t compete with Al-Hilal’s financial might.

Abdou Diallo – Al-Arabi

The 27-year-old center-back couldn’t book a place among PSG’s starting XI. Despite his efforts, Abdou was always considered a backup for the club’s stars. That’s why he was keen on opening a new chapter in his professional career.

Al-Arabi were the ones who tempted PSG with a massive €15m bid for Abdou Diallo’s signature this summer. The Senegalese defender has yet to make his official debut, with the club after agreeing on a three-year deal.

Leandro Paredes – Roma

Without a doubt, Roma’s fans are thrilled to have World Cup champion Leandro Paredes back. The 29-year-old midfielder put pen on paper on a deal that runs until June 2025. Leandro Paredes’ transfer was a bargain and a half, as Roma only had to pay a measly €2.50m for his services.

Georginio Wijnaldum – Al-Ettifaq

Former Paris St-Germain and Netherlands superstar Georginio Wijnaldum opted for a change of scenery, as he agreed on a two-year deal with Saudi Pro League’s Al-Ettifaq. He follows in the footsteps of former Merseyside teammate Jordan Henderson, as the two will reunite with Liverpool legend Steven Gerard and fight for Al-Ettifaq in the next couple of years.

The sum that the Saudi Pro League team paid for Georginio Wijnaldum wasn’t revealed but rumors have it that PSG received an €8.0m pay for their player’s services.

Marco Verratti – Al-Arabi

On the 12^th of September, Marco Verratti flew to Qatar where he and his agents will put the finishing touches on his new deal contract with Qatar Stars League’s Al-Arabi. As expected, Verratti landed in Doha on Monday evening and everything seems to be going according to plan. Contract details are still pending but according to recent rumors, Marco is expected to pen a four-year deal with Al-Arabi.

During his PSG spell, Marco Verratti managed to win countless trophies and become a fan-favorite at Parc des Princes. He fought for PSG in nine consecutive seasons, during which the box-to-box midfielder scored on seven occasions and assisted 30 times in 220 official Ligue 1 games. Selling him to Al-Arabi was no easy decision for president Al-Khelaifi but in order for the club to move on to greater things, plenty of players had to be let go.