Three Realistic Right-Back Transfer Targets For PSG | OneFootball

Paris Saint-Germain have grown accustomed to blockbuster transfer windows in recent years, splurging millions on promising youngsters as well as big-name veterans. This time, however, Les Parisiens have had an incredibly quiet transfer window. They’ve sold just one player—Milan Škriniar—to Fenerbahce, and loaned out three youth players in Naoufel El Hannach, Gabriel Moscardo, and Yoram Zague. What’s more, they’ve only signed one player—19-year-old Roma goalkeeper Renato Marin—on a free transfer.

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After a sensational season that saw them win their first-ever UEFA Champions League title and another domestic treble, as well as reach the FIFA Club World Cup Final, it’s evident that PSG doesn’t have a great deal of transfer priorities. However, one position that could be a high priority is backup right back.

Last season, PSG played with just one right back: Achraf Hakimi. Arguably the best right back in world football, Hakimi racked up 11 goals and 16 assists in 55 appearances over the previous season, offering a constant source of attacking verve whilst also remaining defensively solid. Hakimi has missed just five matches to injury since joining in 2021, but he nevertheless finds himself in hot water with regard to the legal system.

Even if Hakimi avoids injuries and his lawyer gets the case against him dismissed, the 26-year-old will miss several matches midway through the 2025-26 campaign as he will join Morocco for the Africa Cup of Nations. It’s why PSG needs to sign a right-back this summer…but who?

Vanderson

It’s hard to convince a talented young right back to join a club when he’s likely only going to be starting 10 matches or so. It’s why PSG decided to shoehorn central midfielders like João Neves and Warren Zaïre-Emery into the right back position rather than buy an actual right-sided defender. Should they finally manage to sign Ukrainian center back Ilya Zabarnyi from Bournemouth, Luis Enrique may very well be inclined to play Marquinhos in an unnatural right back position with Zabarnyi partnering Willian Pacho.

However, should they decide to sign a right back, then Vanderson would perhaps be their best fit. Unlike other Brazilian fullbacks, Vanderson isn’t someone who lives and dies by attacking: he is a competent, balanced defender who rarely overcommits, remaining well-positioned whilst also helping his team engage with high-pressing. Capable of leaving his man for dead and breaking to the byline, Vanderson’s crossing isn’t quite on the same level as Hakimi, but he makes up for it with his aggressive tackling and superbly timed interventions. He’s already proven himself in Ligue 1 since joining Monaco in 2022, and there’s every reason to believe that he can make the step up from the principality to the Parisian capital.

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