PSV's Transfer Strategy: Focus on Three Key Signings
On the surface, it looks like a strangely calm summer in Eindhoven. No big unveilings, no daily transfer sagas, no conveyor belt of new signings at De Herdgang. Yet behind that quiet façade, PSV are working to a very clear plan – and it revolves around three names.
Technical director Earnest Stewart wants a left-back, a centre-back and a defensive midfielder in before the window closes. Not “nice to have” options. Core pieces. According to reporting from Rik Elfrink of Eindhovens Dagblad, PSV have already narrowed those needs down to three primary targets: Lutsharel Geertruida, Filip Kostic and Kodai Sano.
Geertruida: Agreement in Place, Battle Still On
The most advanced file on Stewart’s desk carries the name Lutsharel Geertruida.
PSV have been working on the deal for “several weeks already” and now have a personal agreement with the versatile defender. That is no small step. Geertruida can operate centrally or on the right, and his profile fits exactly the kind of flexible back line Peter Bosz prefers.
But this is far from done.
RB Leipzig are holding out for a €20 million transfer fee. On top of that, Feyenoord are still trying to tempt Geertruida themselves, hoping to lure him into a move of their own. So PSV, despite their progress with the player, find themselves in a tug-of-war that will likely define the tone of their summer: ambitious, but cost-conscious.
The pressure is building, yet no one is blinking. Not yet.
Kostic: Free, Experienced… and in Demand
On the left flank, PSV have set their sights high. Filip Kostic, freshly released by Juventus and available on a free, is high on the Eindhoven wishlist.
A free agent of his pedigree always attracts interest. Kostic has options, and one of them is already concrete: AEK Athens have put a contract on the table for the Serbian winger. PSV, then, are not just competing with money, but with projects, promises of playing time, and European prospects.
For Stewart, the attraction is obvious. A proven, hard-running wide player, no transfer fee, and the kind of delivery that can feed PSV’s attacking line for an entire season. But with Kostic weighing his choices, Eindhoven can position themselves only so far. The next move is his.
Sano: The Ideal Midfielder at an Awkward Price
The third pillar of PSV’s plan sits in midfield. Kodai Sano of NEC has emerged as the ideal reinforcement for the holding role.
The interest is mutual. Sano is very keen on the move, and his agent, José Fortez Rodriguez, is also positive about a transfer to Eindhoven. On the pitch, the fit looks clean: energy, discipline, and the ability to anchor PSV’s midfield in domestic and European games.
The problem is the number.
NEC are reportedly asking around €18 million. PSV currently view that figure as too high. For a club that has to balance ambition with financial reality, that fee turns a perfect sporting match into a difficult negotiation. The admiration is clear; the question is whether the valuation will ever meet in the middle.
Why the Lack of Urgency? The Exit Door Is Still Closed
For now, the tempo of all three pursuits is dictated by something else entirely: the players who have not yet left.
Key squad members Mauro Júnior, Joey Veerman and Sergiño Dest remain PSV players, and that shapes everything. As long as those salaries sit on the books and their futures remain unresolved, PSV will not throw themselves into high-risk deals.
Mauro has even gone public with his stance. At a press conference on Friday, the Brazilian stated he will “definitely” stay at PSV. He currently wears the captain’s armband in the absence of Jerdy Schouten, who is sidelined with a knee injury. That unexpected certainty from Mauro changes the internal picture. A player many assumed might move on is instead leaning into a leadership role.
Veerman and Dest sit in a different category. Both could leave for significant fees: around €20 million for Veerman, €23 million for Dest. Those figures would instantly reshape PSV’s room to manoeuvre in the market. Yet there has been no real movement around either player so far.
So PSV wait.
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.” It’s a delicate balance: keeping the dressing room stable while quietly hoping for the kind of offer that unlocks the next phase of the rebuild.
For now, Eindhoven’s summer is a study in controlled patience. Agreements without signatures. Targets without bids that match the demands. A squad that might yet change, but hasn’t.
The names are on the list. The strategy is clear. The question is whether the market will finally move in time for PSV to turn this quiet window into a decisive one.
