Luis Campos sets his sights on Abdukodir Khusanov

When a recruiter unearths Abdukodir Khusanov in the depths of Uzbekistan and then Belarus, the latter immediately detects the immense potential of this young defender already well above his opponents. Convinced of the young player's immense talent, he presented him to RC Lens who did not hesitate to recruit him. The Artesian club won the stake for €100,000 during the summer of 2023. Still a little soft for Ligue 1, Khusanov made a strong impression in training and took his first professional steps with the Sang et Or against Metz in September 2023, for around fifteen appearances in all competitions for his first season in Artois.

The rest after this ad

Scheduled to succeed Kevin Danso in central defense, the Uzbek international naturally imposes himself in central defense to the point of becoming essential. It must be said that the former Energetik-BGU Minsk player impresses. He has no shortage of qualities: rough, but also technically clean, he tops the statistics in terms of duels won and interceptions. In addition, he is almost never outpaced by opposing attackers despite his 1.86 meters (for 84 kg). Brice Samba, on the evening of the match against OGC Nice (0-0) at the end of September, summed up his young teammate well. “He’s a monster, what he did again tonight. He scares me. No, but really! For his age, what he does…”

Luis Campos appreciates Khusanov's profile

With room for improvement, Abdukodir Khusanov is already on the verge of becoming one of the highest market values ​​in the squad. According to our information, Luis Campos has even already met the 20-year-old player's entourage without this having yet led to the slightest offer. Looking for a central defender this winter, PSG could jump at the opportunity. The Roc Lensois, under contract with the RCL until June 2027, would be more affordable than another winter track, the one leading to Benfica defender Tomas Araujo deemed untransferable by the Lisbon club.

The rest after this ad

But what about RC Lens? The Artesian club, which must recover around forty million euros this winter to replenish its coffers to compensate for the non-transfers of Neil El Aynaoui to Monaco and Kevin Danso to AS Roma, deemed its promising defender untransferable in January . But Khusanov, whose value hovers around €20 million, is a player coveted by Paris, but not only that. Enough to raise the stakes. Enough to convince RC Lens to let go of their jewel? Response in the coming weeks, especially since the last two matches played by Lens without its defensive rock were not convincing (5 goals conceded in the last 2 matches without Lens number 25) compared to 7 goals conceded in the first 10 days with Khusanov. One thing is certain, given the amount paid to acquire it 18 months ago, the added value looks crazy…