As the 2024-2025 winter mercato draws ever closer (January), the rumors surrounding Paris Saint-Germain are piling up. Today, PSG Inside Actus takes a look at the leads in Portugal, with 4 defenders in particular: Tomas Araujo (22, Benfica), Antonio Silva (21, Portugal), Gonçalo Inacio (23, Sporting Portugal) and Ousmane Diomande (20, Sporting Portugal).
“PSG have set their sights on Tomás Araújo. However, Benfica are not prepared to let him go easily, demanding payment of his €100 million release clause. PSG will therefore face fierce competition, particularly from Premier League and Spanish clubs.
PSG are also interested in Antonio Silva. He is considered to be one of the most promising prospects in Portuguese soccer. Benfica, however, are reluctant to let him leave and are demanding a substantial transfer fee.
A more open door for Sporting?
Another player closely watched by PSG is Gonçalo Inácio. Sporting are open to negotiations, but the asking price could be an obstacle. He was close to joining Manchester United last year. Paris has been in contact with the player for almost two years.
Ousmane Diomande has become one of PSG’s priorities for the central defender position. The player is very interested in coming to Paris.“
We agree with the media that there’s nothing impossible about it, and that it’s all relatively coherent, with negotiations that aren’t announced as easy or announced. We’re talking about leads, about players who would be of interest to PSG, and they all have the qualities to fit into the Parisian project.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t get us very far, as we don’t know which defender (or which ones?) we might end up with. Not to mention the fact that PSG may also be interested in other players.
But we’re not surprised to see the Parisian club try their luck with Araujo, Silva, Inacio and Diomande. We’ll then have to see exactly how the clubs and players respond, in order to make a more precise choice. It’s logical that a club shouldn’t have just one lead in mind for its mercato.
We need to be patient now, as the next recruitment period doesn’t start until January. And perhaps nothing concrete will happen before the summer.
