PSG Need More Than Just Angel Di Maria This Summer to Make Progress in Europe
According to RMC Sport (h/t Matt Maltby of the Daily Mail), Paris Saint-Germain are interested in bringing in Manchester United’s Angel Di Maria this summer after missing out to the Red Devils on PSV Eindhoven’s Memphis Depay.
The Argentina international was top of PSG’s shopping list last summer, but UEFA’s financial fair play (FFP) sanctions prevented the French giants from landing the player known as El Fideo (the noodle) when he was with Real Madrid.
Twelve months later, and following a less-than-impressive debut season at Old Trafford, Les Parisiens are planning a move for Di Maria similar to the one that saw Radamel Falcao join Louis van Gaal’s team from AS Monaco last summer.
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However, one problem that PSG will immediately face in trying to capture the South American star is the fact that FFP will be limiting their actions once again this offseason.
According to RMC Sport (h/t ESPN FC’s Ian Holyman), the French capital outfit will only be allowed to spend €48 million this summer. That is after €12 million of the reported €60 million starting budget was already spent completing the acquisition of Serge Aurier from Toulouse, who has been on loan at Parc des Princes all season.
On top of that, PSG can spend that figure on multiple players but will not be allowed to expand their current payroll. However, they will be able to call upon a squad of 22 players in next season’s UEFA Champions League campaign and not the 21 permitted this term.
With this in mind, it is clear that smart business will be necessary this summer.
Last year’s poorly thought-out acquisition—in financial terms—of David Luiz used up all of the club’s transfer funds on one single player. This time around, the money available must be used to bring in three or four new faces.
PSG will, of course, be able to augment the starting €48 million figure with sales of current players, but it is not so much the transfer fees coming in that will matter. Instead, it is how much space those departures will create within the wage bill that counts.
So, in order to bring Di Maria in and assuming that Manchester United accept an offer similar to the one that saw Falcao arrive at Old Trafford, Les Parisiens will need to part with a player whose salary can cover the Argentinian’s.
It might even take more than one player leaving for PSG to do so.
The Ligue 1 club’s coach, Laurent Blanc, is a huge admirer of Di Maria’s and is adamant that he wants the 27-year-old added to his squad.
Le President was not a great fan of Depay’s profile, according to RMC Sport (in French), yet the French outfit were close to snatching the Dutchman from under the noses of Van Gaal and Manchester United.
Depay even admitted following his final PSV appearance at the Dutch champions’ Philips Stadion home over the weekend that he was “really close” to signing for PSG and not the English giants (h/t the Mirror’s Ben Burrows).
What prompted the player’s rapid change of heart, then?
There is no doubt that the Red Devils are a massive draw for a player and that Van Gaal’s presence in Manchester were two big factors in Depay’s decision.
However, there is another potential factor as well.
At €30 million, according to De Telegraaf (h/t ESPN FC’s Richard Jolly), the 21-year-old would have been within PSG’s summer budget. Could the player have been part of the French club’s strategy to land Blanc’s coveted creative left-sided attacker instead?
It is possible that the two clubs struck a deal that saw the Ligue 1 outfit withdraw their interest in Depay, clearing the way for United to swoop, in exchange for the promise of being able to acquire Di Maria on loan this summer with an obligation to buy at the end of next season
If that does turn out to be the case and Blanc gets the player he feels his team desperately needs, then perhaps the potential signing of Di Maria would represent smart business after all.
However, regardless of whether it is a loan deal with an obligation to buy or an outright purchase, the signing of the Argentinian alone would not be enough to strengthen the squad to the extent that this season has proved is necessary if progress is to be made.
PSG need greater depth in central defence, in central midfield and in attack, as well as the wide role Di Maria would potentially fill and possibly also in goal. Simply bringing the Manchester United man in this summer would not be enough to help Blanc’s team past the Champions League quarter-final stage, which is Les Parisiens’ current limit.
Provided that they do not just prioritise Di Maria above all other possible reinforcements this summer, then PSG might be able to build on top of a squad that is already good enough to reach the last eight on the continental stage.
However, to be better equipped for another Champions League assault next season, the defending French champions need more than just Di Maria. In order to get both, it will likely mean that PSG will have to consider lower-profile signings to keep costs within the FFP budget.
In order for that to happen, the capital club badly needs somebody as part of the hierarchy who can take care of the transfer side of things and navigate the tricky waters of FFP responsibly.
A new sporting director, before Di Maria or any other player, should be PSG’s real priority this summer in order for them to keep their ambitious project from stalling.
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