PSV's Quiet Summer: Key Targets and Transfer Strategy
PSV’s summer looks quiet from the outside. No headline signings, no transfer saga dominating the front pages. But behind the calm façade in Eindhoven, the club is working methodically on three key reinforcements that could reshape Peter Bosz’s team for the new season.
Technical director Earnest Stewart has drawn up a clear shopping list: a left-back, a centre-back and a defensive midfielder. Three positions, three primary targets. The names are no secret anymore.
Geertruida deal in motion, but far from simple
At the top of that list stands Lutsharel Geertruida. PSV have been working on the Feyenoord defender for “several weeks already,” according to Rik Elfrink of Eindhovens Dagblad. The first major hurdle is reportedly cleared: a personal agreement between PSV and the versatile Dutchman is in place.
That doesn’t mean the transfer is close.
RB Leipzig, who hold his contract, want around €20 million. Feyenoord are also pushing to bring Geertruida back to Rotterdam, which keeps the race open and the pressure on PSV’s negotiators. For Stewart, this is exactly the kind of deal that defines a window: high cost, high impact, and no margin for hesitation once the numbers line up.
Kostic on the radar, but not short of suitors
On the left flank, PSV see opportunity. Filip Kostic, released by Juventus and available on a free, fits the profile: experience, delivery, and instant readiness for European ambitions.
Eindhoven, though, are not the only club circling.
Kostic has several offers on the table. AEK Athens have already made their move with a contract proposal, and the Serbian winger can afford to take his time. For PSV, the attraction is obvious – a player of his pedigree without a transfer fee – but that same advantage tempts clubs across Europe. If they want him, they will need a compelling sporting project and a decisive pitch.
Sano the ideal fit – at a price PSV don’t like
In midfield, PSV have identified Kodai Sano of NEC as the ideal reinforcement for the holding role. The interest is mutual. Sano is described as being very keen on the move, and his agent, José Fortez Rodriguez, is also positive about a switch to Eindhoven.
The stumbling block is the fee.
NEC are reportedly asking around €18 million. For PSV, that is still too high. The club admire the player, see the fit, but refuse to be pushed beyond their valuation at this stage of the summer. As long as that gap remains, Sano will stay a target rather than a signing.
Outgoings on hold – and so is urgency
The real reason PSV can afford to move slowly lies in the current squad. Key players expected to generate funds and create space have not yet left.
Mauro Júnior, Joey Veerman and Sergiño Dest all remain in Eindhoven. Dest and Veerman are both available for significant sums – around €23 million and €20 million respectively – yet there has been no concrete movement around either player.
Mauro has gone a step further. At a press conference on Friday, the Brazilian made his position crystal clear: he will “definitely” stay at PSV. With Jerdy Schouten sidelined by a knee injury, Mauro has even taken the captain’s armband in the interim. His stance removes one variable from Stewart’s equation, but it also clogs the pathway for a new midfielder until other pieces shift.
So PSV wait.
Elfrink summed it up succinctly: these are players who would like to take a step abroad, but if they stay longer, “they obviously are not in the way.” That line captures the club’s dilemma. PSV want to refresh, to strengthen, to push again in Europe – yet they refuse to panic, refuse to sell at a discount, refuse to overspend just to make noise.
The market in Eindhoven is quiet now. The question is how long Stewart can keep it that way before the first big domino finally falls.
