Paris, July 7: Slovakia captain Milan Skriniar became Paris Saint Germain’s first signing of the summer on Thursday, joining on a free transfer a year after the French champions declined to pay Inter Milan 70 million
euros ($76 million).
The 28-year-old defender joins a day after former Spain and Barcelona boss Luis Enrique was unveiled as the club’s new coach.
Skriniar, who has signed a five-year contract, had been a top target of Luis Enrique’s predecessor Christophe Galtier.
“I am delighted to become a part of this wonderful club,” Skriniar said in a statement.
His defensive abilities will be welcome for a PSG defence that conceded 40 goals on their way to a record 11th Ligue 1 crown last term.
It was the worst defensive record for a French champion club since Lyon conceded 41 in 2003. Skriniar enjoyed a successful six-year spell at Inter.
The 60-times capped player won the 2021 Serie A title, two Italian Cups and two Italian Super Cups.
Skriniar is unlikely to be the only defender PSG add to their squad with Bayern Munich’s French 2018 World Cup-winning defender Lucas Hernandez a target.
PSG also announced they had signed forward Marco Asensio, 27, on a three-year deal from Real Madrid, where he spent 10 seasons, winning 17 titles including three Champions League trophies and scoring 61 goals
in 285 matches.
He also signed on a free transfer. “It’s a privilege to be part of this great club,” said Asensio, who played in the last two World Cups for Spain, having won 37 caps in his career.
PSG unveils Enrique
“I’m looking forward to joining my new teammates and working with them to achieve some great goals.”
Luis Enrique was appointed as the new coach of Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday on a two-year deal, but his unveiling was overshadowed by ongoing questions about the future of Kylian Mbappe.
The 53-year-old former Barcelona coach, who had been a free agent since being sacked by Spain last December, replaces Christophe Galtier after his departure was confirmed earlier in the day.
Luis Enrique was unveiled at a press conference alongside the Qatar-backed club’s president Nasser al-Khelaifi at their new training complex in Poissy, north-west of the French capital.
“I’m delighted to be joining Paris in order to enjoy a new experience,” Luis Enrique said in a club statement.
“It’s so exciting to meet new people, to live in this city, to learn a new language and, above all, to manage PSG.”
The new coach is the eighth man to lead the club since the transformative Qatari takeover of 2011 and, like those before him, will be charged with bringing them the success in the Champions League that has so far proved elusive.
PSG have never won Europe’s most prestigious club competition, coming closest when they lost in the 2020 final to Bayern Munich.
Mbappe told to sign new deal Yet when asked whether he had been given any guarantees that superstar forward Mbappe would remain at the club for the coming campaign, he was evasive.
The Spaniard later insisted he was “counting on all the players who are under contract”.
However, Khelaifi stated that Mbappe, 24, “must sign a new contract” if he wants to remain at PSG in the coming season.
“The position is very clear. If Kylian wants to stay, he must sign a new contract. We can’t let the best player in the world today leave for free. It’s impossible,” Khelaifi said.
“He said he would not leave for free. If somebody has changed his mind, that is not my fault.”
Mbappe declared last month that he would not extend his contract, which expires next year.
The club must therefore sell the player in the current transfer window, otherwise they will likely lose him for nothing when his deal ends.
Real Madrid hoped to sign Mbappe a year ago before he penned a new contract in Paris. The Spanish giants are favourites to secure the striker if he does eventually change clubs.
Paris will begin their defence of the Ligue 1 title against Lorient on the weekend of August 12 and 13.