PSG Talk

PSG face one of the most demanding schedules in the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League league phase. As defending champions, the French side will be eager to make a strong opening statement.

Key fixtures include clashes with Bayern Munich and Barcelona and a near-immediate rematch against Tottenham Hotspur after their recent UEFA Super Cup showdown.

Newcastle United and Athletic Bilbao are also on the calendar, alongside Bayer Leverkusen, Atalanta, and Portuguese champions Sporting Lisbon, all standing between PSG and a strong push toward the knockout stage.

Can PSG Defeat Tottenham for a Second Time This Year?

In his latest column for Ensemble PSG, Zach Lowy, co-creator of Breaking The Lines and freelance football writer, put together a prediction piece for PSG in the league phase. On November 26, the Parsians will face Tottenham for a second time this year.

After the comeback win to win the Super Cup, Lowy believes that the Ligue 1 side will again come out on top of the London-based club.

“Paris Saint-Germain kicked off their 2025/26 season in Udine, facing off against reigning UEFA Europa League winners Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Super Cup,” Lowy said.

“Having only just returned to training a few days ago, PSG found themselves overpowered and overwhelmed against a Tottenham side that had been undergoing preseason preparations for several weeks. To the surprise of everyone, they were second-best for the majority of their match as Tottenham scored on either side of the interval to mount a 2-0 lead.

“However, Enrique’s substitutes would pay off as Fabian Ruiz helped mark a shift in momentum, whilst Kang-in Lee halved the margin in the 85th minute and Goncalo Ramos equalized in the 94th minute to force penalties, where they prevailed 4-3. We’re expecting PSG to be far more prepared against Thomas Frank’s side, and we’re expecting them to come away with a win against a team that has lost four of its last six league matches. Prediction: Win (2-1).”

Maghnes Akliouche emerged as one of the most sought-after players as the summer transfer window drew to a close. The French midfielder caught the attention of both PSG and Manchester City following a standout 2024-25 season with AS Monaco.

Back in May, 90min France reported that both clubs had intensified their interest, with Monaco reportedly valuing Akliouche at around €70 million. Pep Guardiola is a fan of the young player’s left-footed creativity and versatility, viewing him as a potential long-term successor to Bernardo Silva.

More recently, The Independent noted that Tottenham see Akliouche as a more cost-effective option compared to Savinho. At the same time, Manchester City reportedly placed a £70 million price tag on the midfielder, while Monaco value him at £47.5 million.

Akliouche has already established himself as one of Ligue 1’s brightest young talents. Despite strong interest from top clubs, he remained at Monaco after the summer window closed, though a move away could be on the horizon.

Can the PSG Transfer Target Be Available for a Cheaper Price?

The January transfer window is still months away. Still, Romain Beddouk of France Bleu believes that the Monaco standout could be available for a relatively cheaper price than what the Ligue 1 side was asking for this past summer.

“Last summer, his former club Napoli was asking for more than €120 million,” Beddouk said (h/t Le10Sport). “Kvara was a target for PSG, but not at any price. The club waited until Napoli’s demands decreased to sign him in January for €70 million: it’s a perfect example of a significant but sensible expenditure.

“We could very well see a similar case next winter with the Frenchman Maghnes Akliouche, whose fee Monaco was asking this summer was far too high.”

After talks with Juventus collapsed, PSG has loaned Randal Kolo Muani to Tottenham Hotspur for the 2025-26 season, according to journalist Ben Jacobs. The move gives the French forward a chance to regain the form he showed in Italy, as a permanent transfer wasn’t financially feasible.

In the final hours of the summer transfer window, Kolo Muani had been linked with Aston Villa and Newcastle United, but Tottenham secured the deal for the season.

Spurs have started the Premier League campaign strongly, winning two of their first three matches. However, a recent loss to Bournemouth prompted a concerning reaction from an insider.

PSG Chief Sounded Off Against Juventus

Sports Zone reports that, tired of Juventus’ offers and bad faith during negotiations for Kolo Muani, Nasser Al-Khelaifi finally picked up the phone and was very direct with the Piedmontese club’s executives.

Al-Khelaifi said, “You’ve been mocking us for several weeks, it’s over. You will not get your way with me. I will remember your methods—trust me on that,” before asking the player’s agent to find a solution with other clubs.

🚨EXCL. Lassé par les propositions et la mauvaise foi de la Juventus dans les négociations pour Randal Kolo Muani, Nasser El-Khelaïfi a fini par prendre son téléphone et a été très direct avec les dirigeants piémontais :

"Vous vous fichez de notre gueule depuis plusieurs… pic.twitter.com/38HShD8aTN

— SPORTS ZONE (@SportsZone__) September 4, 2025

Tottenham Receive Concerning Message

On a recent edition of ESPN FC, journalist Julien Laurens shared a concerning message to Thomas Frank and his team, noting that he has questions about whether Kolo Muani will have an impact on the attack this season.

“But I’m not sure [about] him arriving at the club,” Laurens said. “And yet there’s Richarlison and [Dominic] Solanke, and I can see him playing ahead of them, too, if he does better and if he takes his chances and stuff like that.

“I’m just not sure how much this moved the needle for Spurs in a huge season where they would be back in the Champions League, have quite a tough fixture list in that league phase, plus the league where, as we saw already against Bournemouth, they were so inoffensive.

“I’m not sure, Kolo Muani, if you bring him instead of Richarlison in the team that lost to Bournemouth on Saturday in the whole 90 minutes, that Kolo Muani changes this. I’m not sure this was the right profile, but at least they just have, again, another body.”

Tottenham Hotspur secured Xavi Simons this past summer transfer window, edging out Chelsea. Moreover, PSG would benefit from this move due to the sell-on clause in their agreement with RB Leipzig.

Before the summer transfer window closed, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported that Tottenham agreed on a €60 million fee with RB Leipzig for Simons.

London rivals Chelsea spent most of the summer monitoring Simons but never made a formal offer to RB Leipzig, waiting instead to offload players like Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson before committing.

That opened the door for Tottenham, who swooped in to sign the Netherlands international after missing out on Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze earlier in the window.

Xavi Simons Explains Tottenham Hotspur Move

For PSG, it didn’t matter who Simons went to; they were just hoping Leipzig sold the player to the highest bidder. Nonetheless, the 22-year-old admitted that his conversation with Thomas Frank convinced him that moving to Tottenham would be the right step for his development.

“The manager (Frank) told me a lot,” Simons told Eindhovens Dagblad. “Positive things, but also things I need to improve. It’s fantastic how he sees football, how he wants to make players better. Spurs is the right place for me to develop.

“And it’s great that he was honest, that he wants to improve things for me. I always think the coaches are the most important people to base a decision on. As a player, you see a coach more than your family.

“What needs to be improved? I prefer to keep that to myself, but I heard different things from Thomas Frank than from other coaches in the past. That makes sense. When I went to PSV, I was much younger, so you have to work on different things then than you do now.”

The league phase of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League is set, and PSG find themselves in a tough group of fixtures. Last season, the capital club managed to recover after a slow start, but the focus will be on beginning strongly this year.

Following last week’s draw, PSG will take on Bayern Munich and Barcelona from the top-seeded pot. Tottenham Hotspur also await, setting up an early rematch of their tense Super Cup clash just a couple of weeks ago.

The French champions were also handed two of the trickiest opponents from the lower tiers, with Newcastle United and Athletic Bilbao included in their schedule. Bayer Leverkusen, Atalanta, and Portuguese champion Sporting Lisbon round out PSG’s path in the expanded 36-team league phase.

PSG are ready for Champions League rivals

While the international window is taking place, PSG veteran Lucas Hernandez talked about the squad’s mindset as they look to run through this challenging phase and advance to the knockout stage to defend their title.

“All the games in the Champions League are going to be tough matches, we’re aware of that, and we’re ready,” Hernandez told Canal Plus. “We’re still a very young team. We’re still hungry. The PSG team for the next four or five years is going to be incredible.”

Lucas Hernandez « Toutes les rencontres en Ligue des Champions vont être des matchs compliqués, on est conscient de ça, on est prêts. On continue à être une équipe très jeune. On continue à avoir faim. L’équipe du PSG pour les quatre, cinq années à venir ça va être incroyable »… pic.twitter.com/oWOHlAXqtA

— ParisTeam (@Paristeamfr) September 3, 2025

PSG will begin their title defense on September 17 when they face Atalanta. Then, on October 1, the Parisians will face Barcelona in a match many wanted to see in the final last season.

According to journalist Ben Jacobs, after talks with Juventus fell through, PSG has loaned Randal Kolo Muani to Tottenham Hotspur for the 2025-26 season.

The move gives the French forward a chance to regain the form he showed in Italy, after a permanent transfer proved financially out of reach.

Kolo Muani had also been linked with Aston Villa and Newcastle United in the final hours of the summer transfer window, but Tottenham ultimately secured him for the season.

Tottenham have started the Premier League campaign strongly, winning two of their first three matches, though Thomas Frank’s side fell to Bournemouth this past weekend.

AC Milan played role in PSG outcast departure

The Independent’s Miguel Delaney reports that Tottenham pulled back from what could have been one of the summer transfer window’s biggest deals while exploring an elite attacking signing.

Spurs ultimately moved to secure the France international forward after the Serie A club reportedly demanded a staggering £87 million for Rafael Leao.

“AC Milan quoted Tottenham Hotspur as much as €100m for Rafael Leao, as sources state that Spurs had cast around for a number of forwards in the final 36 hours of the window,” Delaney told The Independent’s Inside Football newsletter (h/t TEAMtalk)

“That was how they ended up with Paris Saint-Germain’s Randal Kolo Muani on loan after protracted negotiations about an option to buy.”

PSG loanee has doubters after Tottenham move

On Tuesday, talkSPORT’s Jeff Stelling revealed what Premier League clubs won the summer transfer window and at the No. 1 spot, he put Tottenham. However, he did have some reservations over the Kolo Muani loan deal.

“They brought in Randal Kolo Muani on loan from PSG,” Stelling said. “Now look, when I’ve seen him in the past, I’ll be brutally honest—mainly for the French national side—I haven’t always been impressed, but he’s certainly got a pedigree. PSG on loan at Juventus—they brought him in as well. I just think, numerically, maybe down on some other clubs, but I think they brought in quality.”

Juventus have been chasing PSG forward Randal Kolo Muani all summer, with the player reportedly eager to return to Turin despite interest from Premier League clubs. However, no deal has been finalized between the two sides.

With the transfer window closing in just a few hours, the pressure is mounting, and Juventus could explore other options to boost their attack if needed.

On Sunday, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported that Juventus and PSG have still not reached an agreement for Kolo Muani. In the meantime, the club has turned back to RB Leipzig, eyeing Loïc Openda as a backup if the deal falls through.

Juventus pivot to Plan B and away from PSG misfit

On Monday, Romano reported that Loïc Openda is heading to Juventus. The deal with RB Leipzig is in place, and he has been cleared to travel.

With the Kolo Muani move off the table, Juventus have finalized Openda’s initial loan, which comes with an easy obligation to buy. The total package is just over €40 million.

🚨⚪️⚫️ BREAKING: Loïc Openda to Juventus, here we go! Deal in place with RB Leipzig and authorization to travel.

Kolo Muani deal off and Juve close the deal for Openda on initial loan plus easy obligation to buy.

Total package slightly over €40m.

Zhegrova + Openda for Juve 2️⃣ pic.twitter.com/rXCgNjdKpT

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 1, 2025

Will Randal Kolo Muani head to England?

Romano also reported that if talks with Juventus remain stalled, Kolo-Muani could become an option for several top clubs on Deadline Day. Moreover, he adds that Tottenham enquired Kolo in the last 24 hours.

Juventus have been pursuing PSG forward Randal Kolo Muani all summer, with the player reportedly keen to return to Turin despite interest from Premier League clubs. So far, however, no deal has been finalized between the two clubs.

With the transfer window closing in just a few hours, the pressure is mounting, and Juventus may look at alternative options to strengthen their attack if needed.

On Sunday, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported that Juventus and PSG have yet to reach an agreement for Kolo Muani. In the meantime, Juventus have turned to RB Leipzig again, exploring Loïc Openda as a backup option if the Kolo Muani deal falls through.

A Premier League battle for PSG outcast brewing

On Monday, Romano reported that if talks with Juventus remain stalled, Kolo-Muani could become an option for several top clubs on Deadline Day. Moreover, he adds that Tottenham made an enquiry about Kolo in the last 24 hours.

🚨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 If talks with Juventus remain off as they are right now, Randal Kolo Muani can emerge as option for several top clubs on #DeadlineDay.

Can exclusively reveal that Tottenham made an enquiry for Kolo in last 24h… could be one to watch ⚪️👀 #THFC pic.twitter.com/MyBDaaD1FT

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 1, 2025

Juventus have spent the summer pursuing PSG forward Randal Kolo Muani, who is reportedly eager to return to Turin despite interest from Premier League sides. However, no agreement has been reached between the clubs so far.

With the transfer window closing in just a few hours, the pressure is on, and Juventus could explore other options to reinforce their attack if necessary.

Earlier this month, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported that Juventus remain confident about securing a permanent deal for Kolo Muani. Most of the negotiations have been with the Italian club, with little progress from Newcastle United or Tottenham.

Newcastle ready to pursue PSG outcast

Journalist Sacha Tavolieri reports that Newcastle are reportedly interested in Kolo Muani, with the French forward seen as a key target on deadline day. The English club could make a move, especially since their primary target now seems unlikely to leave his current team.

🚨🥈| Newcastle are interested in Randal Kolo-Muani, the Frenchman is seen as a real opportunity this deadline day. The English club could make a move for the player, as their priority target is currently unlikely to leave their current club. @sachatavolieri pic.twitter.com/GmoZCiTP9C

— PSG Report (@PSG_Report) August 31, 2025

Juventus have spent the summer pursuing PSG forward Randal Kolo Muani, who is said to be eager for a move back to Turin despite drawing interest from Premier League clubs. But with no agreement reached so far, the situation remains unresolved.

As the transfer window ticks down to its final hours, pressure is building. Juventus may be forced to consider alternative attacking options if a deal for Kolo Muani cannot be finalized.

Earlier this month, transfer insider Fabrizio Romano reported that Juventus were still confident of striking a permanent agreement. Most negotiations have centered on the Italian club, while Newcastle United and Tottenham have shown little movement.

Juventus won’t be landing PSG outcast

With hours left in the summer transfer window, Romano provided the latest regarding PSG and Juventus. Both sides appear at a crossroads and don’t look like they are nearing a transfer for the Frenchman.

“As of [Sunday night] negotiations between PSG and Juventus for Randal kolo Muani are completely broken. Keep an eyes on the situation of Randal Kolo Muani in the next 24 hours, as an opportunity from English clubs may appear.”

🚨🎙️| @FabrizioRomano : “As of tonight negotiations between PSG and Juventus for Randal kolo Muani are completely broken. Keep an eyes on the situation of Randal Kolo Muani in the next 24 hours, as an opportunity from English clubs may appear.” 🎖️🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/CvUm6ytCWK

— PSG Report (@PSG_Report) August 31, 2025

With the Kolo Muani transfer far from done, Juventus manager Igor Tudor addressed the club’s situation heading into the transfer deadline day.

“I only said last March that we were missing three signings,” Tudor said. “I was talking about the transfer market, and nothing has changed.

“This transfer window has been complicated, and Comolli is trying to make the most of it,” Tudor continued on Saturday. “I’m satisfied with the team, and I see the players motivated. Continuity is an added value. We’ll see over the next two days.”