PSG and Atlético have become two of the major players in the European transfer market. The former has been a key player for years, while the latter needed to make a significant impact. In fact, among the 36 clubs in the Champions League, these two spent the most on reinforcements. Leading the spending are Chelsea (€238.5 million), Brighton (€231 million), and Manchester United (€214.5 million), all of which are not in the competition. However, within the competition, the two teams meeting tonight at the Parc des Princes top the spending chart. Atlético invested €185 million in five transactions; PSG spent €180 million on four.
Several of these nine signings will be starters, some will wait on the bench, and one, namely Le Normand, will be absent due to injury. Therefore, the two most expensive signings of the summer will be on the pitch in Paris from the outset: Julián Alvarez, who cost €75 million, and João Neves, for whom PSG paid €70 million to Benfica. The Argentine is becoming increasingly important in Simeone’s plans, contributing significantly with and without the ball. Despite being just 20 years old, the Portuguese is indispensable for Luis Enrique, being the second player with the most minutes in the squad.
The rest of Atlético’s investment went to Gallagher (€42M, Chelsea), Le Normand (€34.5M, Real Sociedad), Sorloth (€32M, Villarreal), and Musso (€1.5M for the loan to Atalanta), as they did not pay anything to Barcelona for Lenglet’s loan. The Euro 2020 champion was a regular and performed exceptionally well until his injury, while the British and Norwegian players are still finding their footing but are important players, and the Frenchman is establishing himself in the squad. To balance this, there were significant departures, some more financially motivated than sporting, such as João Félix, which brought in €52 million.
After the setback of losing Mbappé, PSG also signed Désiré Doué (€50M, Rennes), Pacho (€40M, Eintracht), and Safonov (€20M, Krasnodar), future and present investments that refresh and rejuvenate Luis Enrique’s squad. The Ecuadorian defender is delivering great performances, and the Russian goalkeeper is seriously challenging Donnarumma for his position.
