PSG’s January moves for Brazilians Lucas Beraldo and Gabriel Moscardo give Luis Enrique help he needs

Paris Saint-Germain are set to move early in the January transfer window with Brazilian pair Lucas Beraldo and Gabriel Moscardo both expected in the French capital by the end of this week. The Ligue 1 giants have booked medical tests for the Sao Paulo defender and the Corinthians midfielder with both arriving in France between Thursday and Friday. PSG are set to shell out around $55 million for both with Moscardo potentially costing slightly more than Beraldo at between $22-24.5 million in total. However, the French champions will give Luis Enrique’s squad a massive shot in the arm with two quality pieces at a combined price that would have been difficult — if not impossible — to replicate by European standards this winter. At 20 and 18 respectively, Beraldo and Moscardo are moves with the future in mind but ones that transfer guru Luis Campos has identified as being capable of contributing immediately at Parc des Princes. The Portuguese talent spotter is more focused on PSG than ever before having recently ended his collaboration with Celta Vigo, so could Beraldo and Moscardo be two midseason masterstrokes?

We look at why PSG have moved for these two South American talents and what this could mean for the rest of the Championnat leaders’ January’s business.

Why PSG wanted them now

PSG need depth in both defense and midfield with Presnel Kimpembe effectively out for the rest of the season and potentially the entire 2024 calendar year and Nuno Mendes still recovering from injury. Beraldo covers both central defensive and occasional left back roles which offers support to Lucas Hernandez and an alternative to captain Marquinhos and Milan Skriniar while Mendes continues to close in on a return to action. Since Fabian Ruiz’s injury and the recent scare suffered by Warren Zaire-Emery on his senior debut with the France national team, Luis Enrique has needed greater depth in the middle of the park and Moscardo will bring that. Although younger than Sao Paulo’s Beraldo, the Corinthians man is considered one of Brazil’s top talents and some have even touted him as the “Brazilian Declan Rice,” which suggests that this is a move which could unearth a potential starter sooner than expected. Given Carlos Soler’s struggle to adequately contribute in midfield, Manuel Ugarte and Vitinha have been under major pressure to pick up the slack and that has occasionally left PSG light in the position.

PSG are not done for January

Despite Beraldo potentially filling two roles and Moscardo bringing an extra body into the rotation, there is no guarantee that PSG will be done before the January window even opens. Much will depend upon Mendes and his potential recovery from injury with the Portugal international fighting to not only prove his fitness ahead of the second half of the season but also UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany internationally. Should Mendes not be on track to recover by mid-January, the last two weeks will likely see PSG move for further backup on the left with Beraldo equally as valuable in the middle as he could be out wide. Layvin Kurzawa has been used in emergencies domestically but was not included in the Champions League squad which limited his usefulness. Also, it is important to factor in that Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) and Lee Kang In (South Korea) will be on international duty for the best part of a month after the Trophee des Champions clash with Toulouse in early January.

Why PSG could also sell this winter

Certain elements of the Parisien squad are surplus to requirements such as Kurzawa but also Keylor Navas and Hugo Ekitike so expect to see them moved on if at all possible. There is also the case of players who are not getting much game time and might wish to move on loan or permanently such as Soler, Nordi Mukiele and Cher Ndour. Hakimi and Lee’s call-ups for the Africa Cup of Nations and AFC Asian Cup means that most of them will be needed an likely receive some minutes across Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France for at least a few weeks but there is no guarantee that it will be enough to satisfy their needs. There is also the competitive situation in attack to consider with the likes of Bradley Barcola already deployed further back and Goncalo Ramos as well as Marco Asensio looking to break into the regular front three of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Randal Kolo Muani. With that in mind, do not be surprised if PSG opt to move one or two peripheral figures before the end of January to further cut down a squad which remains bloated in certain areas.