Soccer Transfer Rumors: New Owners of Paris Saint Germain Look to Turn Heads

There is an air of excitement surrounding French football at the moment.

Paris Saint-Germain are serious about bringing world-class players such as Samuel Eto’o, Kaka and Dimitar Berbatov to the capital. Now, these names may have looked out of place in the same sentence as PSG in the past, but the club now has money, serious money.

In May of this year, Qatar Sports Investment bought a controlling 70 percent stake in the club leaving the other 30 percent with the previous American owners, Colony Capital who had owned the club since 2006.

The man behind the Qatari-based group is Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the heir apparent of Qatar who himself speaks French and has a keen interest in football.

The right steps have already been taken by the group. Brazilian legend Leonardo has been brought in as sporting director which is seen by many as a shrewd appointment by the owners on two levels.

One because of his previous connections with the club having spent one season playing with them and two, the endless contacts the former AC Milan and Inter Milan manager can bring.

Meanwhile, the first player acquisition of the summer transfer window has been Kevin Gameiro. The Frenchman hit 24 goals for Lorient last season and was on the radar of clubs like Tottenham Hotspur and Valencia.

But a combination of PSG’s willingness to meet the €11 million valuation and Gameiro’s desire to stay in France meant a deal was agreed between the two clubs.

With early activity from the club, there is widespread optimism amongst supporters that bigger things are to follow. Claude Makelele’s retirement has left a void to be filled in central midfield and the club has sounded out Tottenham’s Wilson Palacios and Saint-Etienne’s Blaise Matuidi as potential replacements.

There are also the rumours of Samuel Eto’o joining. Il Corriere dello Sport recently reported that the Cameroon international is set to meet Leonardo over a move to the capital.

A host of other stellar players have also been linked to the two time Ligue 1 winners. Dimitar Berbatov and Kaka are two players that are reportedly on the owner’s wish list, but these players are unlikely to move despite the wages on offer.

However, more realistic targets like Eden Hazard of Lille and Jeremy Menez of AS Roma are well within reach of PSG, and it is these exciting prospects that would benefit the club in the long-term.

Signings of this quality though are not only to PSG’s benefit. Ligue 1 has fallen behind other European leagues in recent years, with many considering it to be inferior to the likes of the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A.

Yet, the Qatari’s investment could breathe new life into French footballs top flight with Qatari channel Al Jazeera already securing international rights to Ligue 1.

Europe is slowly taking note of the Qatari investment into PSG, but it is yet to be impressed. The time has now arrived for the owners to show their ambition, and if stars like Eto’o can arrive in Paris, then Europe will certainly be standing up and taking notice.