Abdukodir Khusanov, the 20-year-old central defender from RC Lens (under contract until 2027) and Uzbekistan, has been announced as one of Paris Saint-Germain’s leads for the mercato. Lens sporting director Diego Lopez confirmed to L’Equipe that the player is on the market in order to ensure financial equilibrium.
“I’m not talking about obligation, but relief.”
“Are you obliged to sell Kevin Danso or Abdukodir Khusanov?
I’m not talking about obligation, but relief. Sales can bring relief to a large number of French clubs in the current climate. We’ve also worked well. We’re lucky to have a competitive squad, with a coach who allows the players to show their worth. (…) We’re going to receive offers and we’ll have to make decisions. But we’ll always start from the same principle: maintaining our sporting ambitions. We know the value of our players.
Why did you sign a mandate with agent Jorge Mendes for Abdukodir Khusanov?
Because we decided to do so as part of our club project. We put all the options on the table. We did a lot of analysis, and we decided with Pierre (Dréossi, RC Lens general manager) to sign a mandate (from €25 to €30 million). It’s the result of an analysis of the market internally, the price of a transfer and lots of other factors.”
It’s too early to be sure that PSG will be negotiating with Lens, let alone to be confident of a transfer. Quite simply because Parisian interest has not yet been confirmed. Khusanov is a possibility, especially as the door is open. But others are possible.
As the price is still quite high, Paris may have other ideas. So might the player. Not to mention offers potentially even higher for Lens than the 25-30 million euros initially envisaged.
Nothing’s been decided yet. But it could well be a case to watch this winter.
