PSV's Transfer Strategy: Three Key Targets for the Summer
On the face of it, PSV’s summer looks strangely calm. No flurry of announcements, no daily drip of new faces through the door in Eindhoven. But the stillness is deceptive. Behind the scenes, the Dutch champions are working on three major deals that could reshape the spine of Peter Bosz’s team.
Technical director Earnest Stewart has drawn up a clear shopping list: a left-back, a centre-back and a defensive midfielder. Three positions, three leading candidates.
Geertruida: agreement reached, battle still on
At the top of that list stands Lutsharel Geertruida. PSV have been pushing for the Feyenoord defender for “several weeks already”, according to Rik Elfrink of Eindhovens Dagblad, and their persistence has paid off in one key area.
Personal terms are in place. PSV and Geertruida are aligned on a contract. The versatile defender is ready to make the move.
The problem lies elsewhere.
RB Leipzig, who hold his rights, are demanding a €20 million transfer fee. Feyenoord, sensing opportunity, are also trying to lure Geertruida back to Rotterdam. PSV may have the player’s approval, but they do not yet have the signature that matters most: Leipzig’s.
So the deal hangs in that familiar transfer limbo. Agreement with the player, stalemate with the selling club, and a rival from closer to home still in the race.
Kostic on the wing, options on the table
On the left flank, PSV have turned their attention to Filip Kostic. The Serbian is available on a free after leaving Juventus, and his profile fits neatly with what Eindhoven want: experience, delivery from wide, a proven left-sided outlet.
But free agents rarely come without competition.
Kostic has several options and is in no rush. AEK Athens have already put a contract on the table, testing PSV’s pulling power and financial flexibility. For Stewart, the attraction is obvious: no transfer fee, a high-level winger, and instant depth on the flank. The question is whether PSV can convince Kostic that his next chapter should be written at the Philips Stadion, not in Athens or elsewhere.
Sano the ideal fit – at the wrong price
In midfield, the preferred name is clear: Kodai Sano.
The NEC midfielder is viewed inside PSV as the ideal reinforcement in the holding role. He wants the move, his agent José Fortez Rodriguez is open to it, and stylistically it ticks every box.
The stumbling block is the number.
NEC’s asking price sits at around €18 million. PSV consider that too high for now, especially in a market where their own outgoing deals have yet to materialise. Admiration for Sano is not in doubt. Willingness to meet the current valuation is.
So the file remains open, but not urgent.
Outgoings on hold, plans in neutral
That lack of urgency runs through PSV’s entire window at the moment. The club’s next moves depend heavily on what happens to a trio of key players: Mauro Júnior, Joey Veerman and Sergiño Dest.
All three have been linked with moves abroad. All three are still in Eindhoven.
Mauro has gone further than anyone in committing his future. At a press conference on Friday, the Brazilian stated he will “definitely” stay at PSV. With Jerdy Schouten sidelined by a knee injury, Mauro wears the captain’s armband for now and anchors the dressing room as much as the midfield.
Veerman and Dest are in a different situation. Both have price tags. Veerman could leave for around €20 million, Dest for €23 million. Those figures are clear, the pathway to a move is there. Yet the market has not moved.
No bids, no serious negotiations, no breakthrough.
So PSV wait. They wait to see if a foreign club steps up for Veerman’s passing range or Dest’s attacking thrust from full-back. They wait to see how much budget they can truly commit to Geertruida, Kostic and Sano.
As Elfrink put it, these are players “who would like to take a step abroad, but if they stay longer they obviously are not in the way.” For Bosz, that is a luxury and a complication at the same time: proven quality in the squad, but transfer plans stuck in a holding pattern.
The calm around PSV’s transfer business will not last forever. Once the first domino falls – an exit, a fee agreed, a rival dropping out – the picture could change quickly. The question is whether Eindhoven can land their three priority targets before the rest of Europe truly wakes up to the same names.
