Paris Saint-Germain bolstered its backline for the first time in the ongoing summer transfer window, as it signed Nordi Mukiele from RB Leipzig on Tuesday. The two sides came to terms on a five-year contract deal.
There were several factors behind Mukiele’s call to leave RB Leipzig in favor of a move to PSG. For one, as he noted to PSG TV, the French international simply wanted to return home.
“Playing for your hometown team is obviously a dream,” Mukiele said.
“I grew up in the Paris region, in Montreuil to be more specific, so playing for Paris is a massive honour for me, for my friends and for my family, and I’m really happy to have worked so hard to be here today. … When I found out that Paris were interested in me and that they wanted me to come here, I obviously gave it some thought because it was really important.
“This is a huge step in my career. It’s not a choice to be taken lightly, but I think and I’m sure that I made the right one.”
Mukiele is coming off of a four-season run at RB Leipzig, where he recorded a combined 146 fixtures in all competitions. He capped off his final season with the German club logging 28 appearances in Bundesliga play last season, and he also featured for the side in its 2022 DFB-Pokal Final win against SC Freiburg.
It remains to be seen on just how PSG manager Christophe Galtier will opt to use Mukiele in his 3-4-1-2 setup, especially as the defender has experience playing as both a full-back and center-back.
