3 PSG players holding the club back that Luis Enrique must sell now

3 players PSG must sell before the transfer window closes

Paris Saint-Germain have made plenty of noise this summer, strengthening key areas of the squad while also raising expectations for another deep run in Europe. But for all the focus on incoming stars, there’s another side of squad building that can’t be ignored: making sure the roster is balanced and not weighed down by players who no longer fit the project. Luis Enrique has been clear about wanting intensity, depth, and versatility, but some names simply don’t fit that vision anymore. With deadline day looming, PSG must act decisively.

Carlos Soler’s exit is imminent

Carlos Soler’s PSG career never really got going. After arriving from Valencia in 2022, he was expected to provide creativity and versatility in midfield. Instead, he has found himself stuck behind the likes of Warren Zaïre-Emery, Vitinha, and Manuel Ugarte, with very few opportunities to influence games.

Luis Enrique values midfielders who can dictate tempo, press aggressively, and break lines with purpose. Unfortunately for Soler, he hasn’t been able to consistently deliver those qualities in Paris. At 27, he still has his best years ahead of him, but they won’t be spent in the French capital.

Negotiations with Real Sociedad are already advanced for either a loan or permanent move. It’s the type of transfer that works for everyone Soler gets a fresh start in a league that suits him, and PSG free up squad space and wages while avoiding another season of stagnation for a player who has no defined role.

Randal Kolo Muani set for a quick exit

PSG fought hard to bring in Randal Kolo Muani from Eintracht Frankfurt, hoping he would be the ideal attacking complement to Kylian Mbappé. Instead, his time in Paris has been frustrating. The forward has shown flashes of quality but has struggled with consistency, and more importantly, he has never looked fully comfortable in Enrique’s tactical setup.

The French international still has admirers in both the Premier League and Bundesliga, and PSG are now seriously considering cutting ties just one year after his arrival. The arrival of new attacking options has pushed Kolo Muani further down the hierarchy, and with the club desperate to avoid a repeat of the Hugo Ekitike saga where they held on to a player too long before selling this is the right moment to act.

A departure before the window closes would allow PSG to recoup funds, reshape their attack, and avoid another year of a talented player sitting on the fringes. Sometimes, even big-money signings don’t work out, and it’s better to admit it quickly than let the problem fester.

Presnel Kimpembe is out of the rotation

Few players embody PSG’s academy success more than Presnel Kimpembe. A homegrown defender and once a mainstay of the back line, he was long seen as a symbol of Parisian pride on the pitch. But football moves quickly, and repeated injuries have disrupted his career trajectory.

Now 30, Kimpembe finds himself firmly out of Luis Enrique’s first-choice rotation. The arrivals of Milan Škriniar last year and Illia Zabarnyi this summer have only made the situation worse, pushing him further down the depth chart. Even when fit, Enrique has favored more reliable, consistent options.

Kimpembe still has the quality and experience to contribute at a high level, but it’s clear his future lies away from Paris. With just a year left on his contract, PSG run the risk of losing him for free next summer if they don’t act now. Selling him before the deadline would be a bittersweet move, but also a pragmatic one that ensures the club doesn’t waste one of its most sellable assets.

The bottom line

PSG’s summer will be judged on their headline signings, but true squad building goes beyond new arrivals. Offloading Carlos Soler, Randal Kolo Muani, and Presnel Kimpembe would not only ease the wage bill but also clear the way for Enrique to shape a tighter, more competitive group. The lesson of past mistakes holding onto fringe players too long still hangs over the Parc des Princes.

With the window ticking down, the writing is on the wall: these are three departures that must happen if PSG are to take the next step in Enrique’s project.

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