Explaining PSG's summer inactivity with Kylian Mbappe's future in the air and Luis Enrique's arrival close – CBS Sports

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Despite having had deals for the likes of Milan Skriniar, Sergio Asensio and Manuel Ugarte prepared for weeks — months in the former’s case — Paris Saint-Germain are yet to announce any new arrivals. Head coach Christophe Galtier was informed of his dismissal just days after the 2022-23 season ended yet the French tactician’s departure has not yet been made official. So far, the only confirmed departures are Inter Miami-bound Lionel Messi and veteran defender Sergio Ramos with both players on contracts expiring at the end of June. Luis Enrique has been lined up as PSG’s new head coach and the Spaniard is already planning for the 2023-24 campaign knowing that sporting advisor Luis Campos is attempting to overhaul the squad. Bayern Munich’s Lucas Hernandez, Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen remain high on Les Parisiens’ list of priorities yet activity has been minimal.
On top of our dedicated PSG transfer hub which covers everything mentioned here, we take a look at why that is.
Although no dates have been set for PSG’s return to training yet and the Ligue 1 fixture list has only just been released, we do already know a bit about how the capital club’s summer schedule will look with a view to returning to domestic action in mid-August. The Trophee des Champions between historic 11-time Ligue 1 winners PSG and Coupe de France titleholders Toulouse has already been pushed back until early 2024 so that is one less thing to be considered. Also on the menu is a club tour of Japan — possibly influenced by former TDF destination Bangkok — which will feature three games against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, Japanese outfit Cerezo Osaka and beaten UEFA Champions League finalists Inter. Before that gets underway, though, PSG’s professionals are due to move into their state-of-the-art training campus facility and play an opening friendly against newly-promoted top-flight side Havre AC.
In terms of Luis Enrique being named PSG’s new head coach and Galtier moving on from Parc des Princes, the situation is similar to the one we saw last year. The French tactician’s arrival was known about months before it was actually confirmed due to the legal wrangles over dismissing predecessor Mauricio Pochettino and that is pretty much the same deal here. Galtier’s compensation costs are significantly lower than the Argentine’s but they are still sizeable and the Ligue 1 titleholders must have the 56-year-old taken care of before his Spanish replacement can be named officially as the new boss at Parc des Princes. Luis Enrique himself has needed to review the staff set up in Paris and assemble his new additions to be ready for preseason in the lead-up to that first game on July 21 against Le Havre. These things take time and it is just a question of being patient while the legalities are handled — hence Galtier’s inability to immediately rebound with one of the available Ligue 1 posts at present.
Kylian Mbappe’s future remains up in the air after his premature decision to not opt-in for the final year of his contract which now expires in 2024. This has thrown much of PSG’s plans up in the air with plans to move Neymar on after Messi now in doubt. With massive uncertainty over the 24-year-old, him moving could bring in a massive sum for Campos to rebuild the squad but equally would leave a gaping hole in the group and project as a whole. Do not expect rumblings about Mbappe’s future and Real Madrid interest to go away anytime soon, but there should be at least a little bit more clarity once Luis Enrique replaces Galtier officially and preseason return dates are known. A future with and without Mbappe are totally different concepts and plans for different scenarios are required for whatever the ultimate outcome of this summer’s melodrama might be.
Probably the most basic explanation yet no less true is the fact that PSG’s budget for the upcoming season starts in July so anything made official before the end of June would risk being included in the 2022-23 books which were already bloated. Messi and Ramos leaving and being off the books for the start of July is a big financial weight which has been lifted and further departures are expected with discussions underway to move unwanted players on for the coming campaign. Should a big earner like Neymar, Marco Verratti or even Mbappe move on in July then Campos’ financial flexibility would be even greater.
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