Even in the offseason, Paris Saint-Germain continue to dominate the Ligue 1 news cycle. PSG stars Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe made headlines on and off the field, respectively, while there is some scuttlebutt about the PSG managerial position, with Mauricio Pochettino likely on his way out.
But there is also some big non-PSG Ligue 1 news, with Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni set to complete his massive move to Real Madrid, while Alexandre Lacazette is ready to make his Ligue 1 return with hometown club Lyon.
Read on below as SBOTOP brings you the latest happenings in the French top-flight.
Lionel Messi bags five goals with Argentina
Lionel Messi may not have had the best first season in Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain, but the 34-year-old is showing with his recent form with Argentina that he is still very much capable of playing at a high level.
After his impressive Player of the Match performance in the Finalissima against Italy, Messi banged in all five goals in a 5-0 friendly win against Estonia.
Messi is now up to 86 international goals in 162 caps for his country as he became the first Argentine to bag five goals in a game in 81 years.
Messi had a disappointing debut season for PSG by his remarkably high standards as he finished with a mere six goals in 26 appearances. Although, he did have 14 assists, which was second only to team-mate Kylian Mbappe.
Kylian Mbappe dubbed world’s most valuable player
Messi’s team-mate, Kylian Mbappe, was also in the middle of some Ligue 1 2022 news as he was named the most valuable football player in the world by Swiss research group CIES Football Observatory.
Mbappe’s overall transfer value was estimated at €205.6m, which beat out Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr (€185.3m) and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (€152.6m).
Pedri of Barcelona (€135.1m) and Jude Bellingham of Borussia Dortmund (€133.7m) rounded out the top five.
Mbappe’s PSG teammate Neymar remains the world record transfer holder after his €222m move from Barcelona in 2017.
Mbappe was heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer, but he instead signed a three-year contract extension with PSG.
Aurelien Tchouameni to Real Madrid a done deal
After missing out on Mbappe, Real Madrid have reached a big-money move for another promising young Frenchman: Aurelien Tchouameni.
The Spanish giants have agreed to sign the 22-year-old midfielder from AS Monaco in a massive deal worth more than €100 million, David Ornstein of The Athletic reports.
Tchouameni opted to join Real Madrid amid interest from other top clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Tchouameni played 35 times in Ligue 1 for third-placed Monaco this past season, contributing three goals and two assists. He has also been capped 10 times for France.
The 22-year-old will join fellow Frenchman Eduardo Camavinga at Real after the latter moved to Madrid last summer. The two are expected to succeed the veteran trio of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Casemiro in the Madrid midfield.
PSG not keen on Mourinho, eyeing Galtier as manager
After replacing Leonardo with Luis Campos as the club’s sporting director, PSG are expected to make a switch at manager with Mauricio Pochettino expected to be on his way out.
Zinedine Zidane and Jose Mourinho have been linked with the Paris job. But according to top football insider Fabrizio Romano, PSG are not interested in Mourinho, who just won the UEFA Nations League in his first season at Roma, and instead have Nice manager Christophe Galtier at the top of their list of candidates.
The 55-year-old Galtier famously took over Lille when they were in the relegation zone in 2017 and led them to the Ligue 1 title in the 2020-21 season. Galtier, a three-time Ligue 1 Manager of the Year, spent last season in charge of OGC Nice, whom he led to a fifth-place finish.
Alexandre Lacazette seals Lyon return
Alexandre Lacazette is coming back home. The 31-year-old has sealed his return to hometown club Lyon after five years with Arsenal in the Premier League.
Lacazette scored 71 goals in 206 appearances for the Gunners. Although, his goal production dropped significantly last season as he finished with just 6 goals in 36 games.
Lacazette will now return to Lyon, with whom he came up through the ranks. He made 275 total appearances during his first stint at the club, scoring 129 goals.
Lyon, who finished a disappointing seventh last season, finished third in Ligue 1 with 66 goals. Moussa Dembele finished with 21 goals – tied for third in the league – while Karl Toko-Ekambi had nine.
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