PSG offloads many players but misses out on signing Skriniar

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This article was published 01/09/2022 (1471 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PARIS (AP) — French champion Paris Saint-Germain offloaded several players Thursday on a busy last day of the transfer window but missed out on signing Inter Milan’s central defender Milan Skriniar.

PSG coach Christophe Galtier really wanted another defender so he can rotate his squad properly and the club had reportedly offered 60 million euros ($60 million) for the 27-year-old Skriniar.

Italian champion Inter demanded more, even though the Slovakia international only has one year left on his contract and is a free agent in January.

Galtier did get an experienced midfielder when Fabian Ruiz joined earlier this week on a five-year deal from Napoli. Ruiz scored 22 goals in 166 games over four seasons with the Serie A club, winning the Italian Cup in 2020.

PSG’s transfer outlay reached 130 million euros ($130 million). It included midfielders Vitinha (Porto) and Renato Sanches (Lille) and right back Nordi Mukiele (Leipzig).

Needing to lighten its squad in order to better recruit, PSG sold holding midfielder Idrissa Gueyeto back to Everton, having bought him from the Premier League club in 2019. Striker Arnaud Kalimuendo was bought by Rennes and defender Thilo Kehrer went to Premier League club West Ham this week.

PSG also sent several players out on loan.

Attacking midfielder Julian Draxler (Benfica), left back Layvin Kurzawa (Fulham) and the versatile Abdou Diallo (Leipzig) were loaned out on Thursday, joining midfield trio Georginio Wijnaldum (Roma), Leandro Paredes (Juventus) and Ander Herrera (Athletic Bilbao) out the door.

Winger Angel Di Maria had joined Juve on a free transfer.

Galtier had initially wanted another forward, but with PSG scoring 21 goals in five league games thanks to its glittering attack trio of Messi, the rejuvenated Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, it was hardly needed.

Marseille spent around 75 million euros on transfers but coach Igor Tudor got forward Alexis Sanchez from Inter on a free transfer. Goal-scoring midfielder Jordan Veretout joined from Roma.

Wingback Nuno Tavares has proved an inspired loan signing from Arsenal, scoring three goals in five league games.

Marseille freed up some of its hefty wage bill by selling burly Croatia center half Duje Caleta-Car to Premier League Southampton, loaning out striker Arkadiusz Milik to powerhouse Juventus and midfielder Kevin Strootman to second-tier Italian side Genoa.

Nice recruited two Premier League veterans in goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel for 1 million euros and midfielder Aaron Ramsey on a free transfer. Winger Nicolas Pepe joined on a season’s loan from Premier League leader Arsenal, and scored in his side’s midweek win at Lille.

Coach Lucien Favre’s main signings for Nice were midfielder Sofiane Diop from Monao (22 million euros) and center back Mattia Viti from Italian side Empoli.

Also, burly striker Gaetan Laborde joined Nice after one season at Rennes, where he will link up with his former Montpellier strike partner Andy Delort, with Nice forward Amine Gouiri going the other way to join Rennes.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas showed why he is one of the best operators in the transfer market when he sold sold midfielder Lucas Paqueta to West Ham for 61.6 million euros in a deal that could rise to around 80 — which would be four times the amount Lyon paid for him two years ago.

Lyon managed to bring in two hugely experienced players in forward Alexandre Lacazette and France midfielder Corentin Tolisso on free transfers. They were both formed at the club.

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