Nobody is safe at Paris Saint-Germain as club president prepares to wield the axe during a summer of change

Beaten to the Ligue 1 title by Monaco, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is preparing to ring the changes and will take advantage of relaxed Financial Fair Play rules to spend big

Paris Saint-Germain have flattered to deceive this season (Getty)

One way or another, big change is coming at Paris Saint-Germain this summer.

When Unai Emery drew his hands over his ashen face on the Camp Nou touchline as Sergi Roberto’s dramatic stoppage-time winner hit the net to complete the comeback of the season – of any season - the meaning seemed clear. Paris Saint-Germain’s unthinkable capitulation to Barcelona in the Champions League would surely mean the end of the Basque coach’s tenure in the French capital.

Some thought capturing the domestic treble might save him, though it’s always worth recalling Laurent Blanc’s situation from this time last year. Emery’s predecessor was actually confirmed in his post by club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi after his own Champions League disappointment, the limp quarter-final exit to Manchester City, and he went on to net the domestic quadruple.

Nor that, not the €20 million-plus payout due to Blanc on the termination of his contract, saved him when Al-Khelaifi came to fully reflect on the City loss, once the season was done.

Emery's side capitulated at the Nou Camp (Getty)

Since then, PSG have watched as Leonardo Jardim’s ultra-stylish Monaco side have deservedly whisked their title away but such is the level of self-examination at every level of the club, Emery’s future is no longer the headline as a seismic summer of change begins to be anticipated. That’s not to say that he’s safe, as Al-Khelaifi’s brutal about-turn last summer proved, but there is an understanding that making Emery alone carry the can will not pull the club any closer to realising its dreams next season.

If the coach normally pays the price for failure, there is a growing sense that the players won’t get off scot-free for the Camp Nou collapse. As Le Parisien pointed out this week, the relaxing of Financial Fair Play and PSG’s success in negotiating it means that a significant squad makeover is possible.

“In this context,” wrote the newspaper’s Ronan Folgoas, “the recruitment of a megastar like Neymar, whose changing moods are a part of the everyday news cycle at FC Barcelona, once again becomes possible.” A pot of around €200 million to spend on fees alone has been mooted.

Neymar is one of PSG's top targets (Getty)

This would represent a departure after a few summers of watching the cents. Although the club spent a sum in excess of €70 million in transfer fees last summer on players including Jesé and Grzegorz Krychowiak, they recouped some €50 million on the unwanted David Luiz and Lucas Digne, as well as waving goodbye to the hefty wages of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Arsenal’s Alexis Sánchez and Benfica right-back Nelson Semedo are among the top targets this summer, when Krychowiak, Hatem Ben Arfa and Lucas Moura are among those expected to move on. Even big names including Thiago Silva, Serge Aurier and Blaise Matuidi have question marks over their futures.

PSG are hoping to take advantage of Sanchez's contract uncertainty (Getty)

Silva’s captaincy came under heavy criticism across the media after the second leg at Barcelona, with many suggesting an inability to help his team master their emotions in pressure situations, linking the humiliation back to Brazil’s 7-1 World Cup semi-final loss to Germany. The former PSG centre-back Bruno N’Gotty even accused Silva of being “scared” in decisive matches, as opposed to young Presnel Kimpembe’s immense display in the Barcelona first leg.

It’s worth noting, still, that Silva himself has laughed off suggestions of a departure, and rolled back the years when stifling Kylian Mbappé during April’s 4-1 crushing of Monaco in the Coupe de la Ligue final.

Any cull will be not limited to the playing staff, either. Joint sporting director Olivier Letang, who was close to Ibrahimovic and even opened up the possibility of the Swede moving upstairs to join him post-playing career, has already left. Patrick Kluivert was brought in as director of football last summer, to widespread surprise, but has not convinced, with his lack of experience in the role showing, especially in the transfer market. Frequently questioned about his future in recent weeks, Kluivert has consistently swerved the question.

Kluivert has struggled in his executive role (Getty)

Al-Khelaifi’s hope is to make a statement appointment in the role, with Atlético Madrid’s current technical director, Andrea Berta, his number one target, though nothing has yet been sealed. Berta is apparently keen to be given total control over the club’s sporting policy and with the summer nearly upon us, he holds a strong negotiating position.

Getting Berta or not will say something about where Al-Khelaifi is at too. Having initially charmed French football with his manner – and by learning the language quickly – he has become a less frequent presence, both nationally and at the club. Some would have welcomed more day-to-day involvement, as Al-Khelaifi offered immediately after Leonardo’s departure, especially in the immediate aftermath of the Barcelona humiliation.

His leadership will be under the microscope more than ever now, with PSG in need of a spruce up from top to bottom to rekindle their ambitions of being a legitimate Champions League contender.