They are all playing for second place in Ligue 1 next season.
That is something which has been said for many a year now and 2022-23 appears no different, even with two and a half weeks until the new campaign kicks off.
Sure, Monaco (2017) and Lille (2021) have defied the odds and shown that Paris St-Germain can be stopped.
But since then, PSG have snapped up arguably the best talent from both those clubs in superstar Kylian Mbappe – the young Frenchman widely viewed as the player to lead them on their pursuit of success – and a new football adviser in Luis Campos, the man who masterminded Lille’s title triumph and now appointed to oversee the French champions’ transfer business.
No wonder the SBOTOP Ligue 1 2022 betting odds cannot look past the Parisiens.
Though make no mistake, the domestic league is the bare minimum expected of PSG and, in truth, given their huge resources which dwarf every other club in the division, such success is considered barely enough.
Staying with the runaway favourites, change appears afoot.
For a start, new boss Christophe Galtier reportedly has notable plans for how he will roll out his squad this season, particularly with regards to the front three in Mbappe and megastars Lionel Messi and world record signing Neymar.
Departures seem likely with Chelsea said to be chasing a deal for defender Presnel Kimpembe.
It’s reported Kimpembe would cost £40 million, but agreeing a fee with PSG will only be half the battle for Chelsea who may well have their work cut out in attempting to convince the defender to leave Parc des Princes.
Less so, left-back Layvin Kurzawa appears to have no future with the club from the capital and the France international recently switched his agent to find him a club where he can kickstart his career again.
Two Premier League sides, Leeds United and Everton, have been linked with moves for the 29-year-old whose agent has supposedly offered him to the Yorkshire club.
Of course, there have already been some notable arrivals with players from whom we can expect Ligue 1 2022 highlights.
PSG have already signed French prodigy Hugo Ekitike, the highly sought-after young striker from Stade de Reims who has moved for a season-long loan with an option to buy.
Ekitike is PSG’s third summer recruit after Portuguese midfielder Vitinha, 22, and Nuno Mendes, whose loan deal was made permanent. Meanwhile, right-back Nordi Mukiele appears on his way from RB Leipzig with personal terms already agreed.
Heading south, Olympique Marseille have acquired the services of Congolese central defender Chancel Mbemba from FC Porto.
The 27-year-old moves on a free transfer and has signed a three-year deal following the arrivals of fellow defender Samuel Gigot from Spartak Moscow and teenager Isaak Toure from Le Havre.
Marseille are also keen on French midfielder Jordan Veretout according to reports, yet it seems the Roma man would prefer to stay in Italy if he is to leave the Serie A giants.
A move also seems afoot for Darko Lazović of Italian club Hellas Verona with Kevin Strootman possibly heading the other way.
Elsewhere, Monaco have not been left out of the action with the arrival of a new heavyweight in attack in the shape of impressive Swiss international Breel Embolo.
He has signed for the next four seasons with the principality club and may well pair up with Japanese winger Takumi Minamino who has arrived after an underwhelming spell at Liverpool.
Another one to watch could be Mohamed Bayo, Clermont Foot’s top scorer over the last two seasons, who has joined 2021 champions Lille with the 24-year-old striker penning a five-year contract with Les Dogues.
Aside from the confirmed moves, there is plenty of other speculation ahead of the big kick-off.
Montpellier are looking to sign Lens striker Ignatius Ganago, with the Cameroon international forward emerging as a potential option, in particular should Stephy Mavididi leave the club.
Galatasaray’s Egyptian international forward Mostafa Mohamed is set for a medical at Nantes, who have already brought in Nice forward Evann Guesand on a season-long loan.
Nice are also reportedly one of three clubs, along with Marseille and Nantes, who are tracking Villarreal striker Boulaye Dia.
The Senegal man left Reims for Spain in a £10.8 million move last summer where he managed seven goals and six assists across 35 games in all competitions.
Only 17 of those outings were starts as the Yellow Submarine made a shock run to the Champions League semi-finals and, with minimal game time again likely and the World Cup on the horizon, Dia is keen to make a run for Senegal’s squad that will head to Qatar in November.
Nice is a club to watch for me as it will be very interesting to see how they fare under new coach Lucien Favre, especially if they secure attacking reinforcements. Lots to talk about then with Ligue 1 on the horizon and, while I still feel everyone is playing for second place, it should be a close battle.
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