Dimitri Payet was nearly Paris Saint-Germain’s final signing before the club’s acquisition by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) in the summer of 2011. On January 31st, 2011, Payet publicly stated his decision was made, indicating an agreement with PSG was in place. However, Saint-Étienne ultimately rejected an offer exceeding €7 million, forcing the 24-year-old attacking midfielder to remain with the club until the end of the season.
The situation then evolved with the emergence of Lille, the reigning French champions, who successfully secured Payet’s signature amid uncertainty surrounding the governance transition at Paris Saint-Germain. Leonardo, newly appointed as sporting director, opted for Jérémy Ménez instead, effectively ending PSG’s pursuit of Payet.
This instance represents one of the early transfer decisions made before the full impact of QSI’s investment was felt at the Parc des Princes. The club also missed out on Memphis Depay in 2015, with Louis van Gaal convincing the forward to join Manchester United despite interest from PSG and Liverpool. Depay himself expressed a desire to join Paris in 2021 after a successful spell at Lyon, but the club did not prioritize his signing.
Further missed opportunities included Frenkie de Jong in 2019, where Ajax seemingly leveraged Paris’s interest to drive up his price, ultimately leading to a move to Barcelona. In 2022, Robert Lewandowski was a serious target for PSG, with the club hoping to alleviate their reliance on Kylian Mbappé, but Lewandowski ultimately chose Barcelona. More recently, in January 2024, Joshua Kimmich was a target, but he ultimately decided to renew his contract with Bayern Munich despite constructive discussions with PSG officials.
Rayan Cherki also appeared set to join PSG in the summer of 2024, with a €15 million agreement reached with Lyon, but a financial detail regarding player interest stalled the transfer, allowing Borussia Dortmund to enter the picture. Other players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, N'Golo Kanté, and Antoine Griezmann were linked with PSG at various points but never reached an agreement to join the club. These instances demonstrate a pattern of near misses and shifting priorities for PSG in the transfer market over the past decade.
