This Monday evening, RMC Sport broadcast an interview with Luis Campos, Paris Saint-Germain’s football director. He was notably invited to discuss one of the “surprises” of the 2025 summer transfer window: the departure of Gianluigi Donnarumma (26-year-old goalkeeper) to Manchester City, while Lucas Chevalier (23-year-old goalkeeper) was recruited from Lille to replace him.
Campos: “When he asks for a salary at the level of PSG before, not the current PSG…”
“The club’s policy is to build a team. The club is more important than anyone else. That’s changed at PSG. Donnarumma’s departure was led by a set of circumstances. When he asks for a salary at the level of PSG before, not the current PSG… Our policy is very much based on merit; you earn more when you deserve it.
We took some time to discuss Gigio’s issue. We were forced to find solutions if we couldn’t reach an agreement. (…) The star is the club, it’s the entire squad. That’s what we put in place with the management’s agreement. We don’t rule out recruiting a star, but it’s up to them to adapt to the PSG machine. We’re helping Luis Enrique impose this philosophy.
Campos: “The coach said he could perhaps take advantage of this to make the team stronger on the ball.”
It was difficult at first to understand Donnarumma’s demands. He was the first player we discussed renewing his contract with. But we quickly realized it would be difficult. The coach said he could perhaps take advantage of this to make the team stronger on the ball. When we can make PSG more French, we’ll do it. That’s nothing new. If there’s a good player who fits our team, we’ll try to do it. »
Recently, Donnarumma’s agent had sharply criticized PSG. Today, unsurprisingly, we have a rather different version, with demands that are exaggerated compared to the club’s current policy. The bottom line is that there was clearly a disagreement.
Above all, we note that coach Luis Enrique was far from panicked by Donnarumma’s departure. It was more of an opportunity to turn the page by taking a chance. Of course, Chevalier still needs to confirm his skills in the Champions League, in his ability to handle pressure, etc. But he brings an ease with his feet that is interesting. We’ve already seen him several times, able to escape pressure with a mid- or long game, where Donnarumma has often lacked control.
All that remains is to be at the same level on his line or on penalties, which was a major concern for many. In the second area, Chevalier has already proven himself very quickly. On the other hand, his statistics were as good, if not better, in Ligue 1 last season. So there’s good reason for hope.
Not to mention that PSG has maintained a balanced dressing room and payroll, which is never insignificant. All this while recruiting a top French talent could also be a plus.
