Paris Saint-Germain's 2023-24 planning was already in the works before the paint was dry on 2022-23 with Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos' exits confirmed before the final game of the season. Luis Campos wasted little time in lining up two immediate arrivals with Real Madrid's Marco Asensio and Sporting CP's Manuel Ugarte now secured. Christophe Galtier's dismissal was swift and brutal which was also delivered by the Portuguese sporting advisor while talks have stepped up with Julian Nagelsmann since last campaign ended. Kylian Mbappe has already declared that he will remain at Parc des Princes for this coming term while the chances of seeing Neymar finally leave the French capital have never been higher.
We look ahead to how PSG might look come 23-24 as they try to majorly revamp the squad ahead of yet another push for elusive UEFA Champions League success.
In
We already know that Milan Skriniar, Asensio and Ugarte have been lined up by Campos and should be made official. Both the Slovakia and Spain internationals are free transfers while the Uruguayan midfield has been lined up for what could prove to be a snip at around $64.5 million. On top of those three, expect to see PSG hit free agency further with a move for an additional attacker with France international Marcus Thuram the favorite to come in while Manchester City's Bernardo Silva has long been a target for Campos and could look for a new adventure after securing the Champions League with Pep Guardiola's side.
Out
Messi is already confirmed to be Miami-bound while Ramos can now potentially look to make a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia with his departure also actioned by PSG. The French champions are actively looking to move Neymar on and the Brazilian superstar leaving would create serious breathing space in Les Parisiens' budget which could enable the pursuit of the likes of Silva to step up and really take on a new level of seriousness. Most of the players returning to Paris from loan spells, such as Juventus' Leandro Paredes, will be pushed towards the exit again while the likes of Renato Sanches, Carlos Soler, Juan Bernat and Hugo Ekitike could be moved on too.
Head coach
Nagelsmann is the lead candidate after leaving Bayern Munich earlier this year and resisting he temptation to jump straight back into work with Tottenham Hotspur. The German could replace Galtier who already knows that he will not be overseeing a second season in Paris and the ex-RB Leipzig tactician's original hope was to persuade Thierry Henry to join him as part of his backroom staff. Whether or not the Frenchman joins him remains to be seen, but Nagelsmann is the strongest candidate for the PSG gig at this moment in time.
Goalkeepers
There is little doubt that Gianluigi Donnarumma will remain PSG's starting goalkeeper next season regardless of a change in head coach. The Italy international relegated Keylor Navas to a substitute role which pushed the Costa Rican to join Nottingham Forest on loan last season. The biggest question mark right now in this area is whether or not Sergio Rico will be replaced after the Spaniard suffered an awful injury in a horse riding accident which hospitalized him hours after the historic 11th French title was confirmed in Strasbourg. Any moves in this area would likely include Navas leaving on a permanent deal and a newcomer joining in what would at least initially be a backup capacity with a view to challenging Donnarumma in the future.
Defenders
Ramos leaving as Skriniar arrives means that central defensive options remain steady with three senior figures in Marquinhos, Presnel Kimpembe and the Slovakia star. However, Skriniar and the Frenchman are recovering from surgery which might not be complete when the season starts. El Chadaille Bitshiabu could continue to get some minutes while Danilo Pereira's redeployment in defense will likely continue given recent midfield additions. Achraf Hakimi and Nordi Mukiele provide depth on the right while Nuno Mendes is an undisputed starter on the left when fit aand Mukiele can also fill in more centrally if needed.
Midfielders
Despite fan frustration in recent months, Marco Verratti is likely to remain key to PSG's midfield with Ugarte a quality addition alongside the Italian. Continuing with a 3-4-3 shape which appears to be the thinking behind Campos' recruitment means that Pereira is likely to be considered more of a defender than a midfielder which leaves Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz and Warren Zaire Emery as the three most likely middle men to continue next season. Zaire Emery is the brightest youth academy talent and already enjoyed significant minutes under Galtier who also used him as a right wing back when Hakimi was unavailable, while the Portuguese and Spaniard are both solid squad options who can also step into the XI should nobody else be added to the group.
Attackers
Unsurprisingly, the front line will be built around Mbappe once again in what could be his final season with PSG unless things change massively on and off the field. Asensio coming in with Messi and Neymar (possibly) coming out offers an interesting possibility to finally reshape the attack to be more of a two-man unit with a creator deployed behind instead of a three-man approach with no real focal point at the top. Mbappe and Asensio alone are not sufficient in this area, but are a good start with the possibility that the likes of Thuram, Silva and possibly even a wildcard like Wilfried Zaha get added to the mix.
Possible PSG 23-24 XI
Donnarumma; Skriniar, Marquinhos, Kimpembe; Hakimi, Verratti, Ugarte, Mendes; Asensio, Mbappe, Thuram/Bernardo Silva.