Five new faces to watch in Ligue 1

The new French Ligue 1 season begins on Friday when champions Paris Saint-Germain go to Le Havre on the opening night, with the Qatar-owned club starting a new era following the departure of Kylian Mbappe.

With the superstar forward having moved on, AFP Sport picks out five new faces to watch in the 2024/25 campaign:

JOAO NEVES (PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN)

PSG will begin the season without having signed a big-name forward to fill the void left by Mbappe. But they have splashed out to strengthen other areas of the team. Neves, the very highly-rated 19-year-old Portugal midfielder, has arrived from Benfica for a fee that could reach 69.9 million euros ($76.7m) including bonuses.

Neves, who played 55 games for Benfica last season before going to Euro 2024 with his country, will nevertheless have to earn his place in the PSG midfield. Vitinha, Warren Zaire-Emery and Fabian Ruiz were all impressive in the last campaign and will not easily give up their starting berths in Luis Enrique's side.

ROBERTO DE ZERBI (MARSEILLE)

Marseille have never had a reputation as a stable club, but they cannot afford another season as chaotic as the last when they got through three coaches. Marcelino, Gennaro Gattuso and Jean-Louis Gasset all had spells in charge as OM reached the Europa League semifinals but finished eighth in Ligue 1 and failed to qualify for Europe.

They needed a big-name arrival to give supporters a boost and the appointment of De Zerbi has done just that. The 45-year-old Italian previously did well in the Premier League at Brighton and Hove Albion and will be expected to get the former Champions League winners challenging for a return to Europe's elite club competition.

MASON GREENWOOD (MARSEILLE)

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored 30 goals in a struggling Marseille side last season and his departure for Saudi Arabia has left the club scrambling to reinforce their attack. Elye Wahi has joined from Lens for 25 million euros but much of the attention will surround Greenwood.

The 22-year-old Englishman arrived from Manchester United, where his career began in promising fashion before he was suspended in January 2022 following allegations of attempted rape and sexual assault.

Prosecutors dropped charges in February 2023 and he went on to spend last season in Spain at Getafe. But still, Marseille fans, including the city's left-wing mayor Benoit Payan, have condemned the signing of Greenwood.

"It's a complex situation and an old situation," insisted Marseille president Pablo Longoria.

GEORGES MIKAUTADZE (LYON)

The 23-year-old striker's reward for an impressive Euro 2024 with Georgia was a move from relegated Metz to Lyon for an initial 18.5 million euros.

Mikautadze scored 11 goals in the second half of last season on loan at a struggling Metz side after returning to his old club from Ajax, where he had failed to settle.

Initially expected to join Monaco, he then chose to go back to Lyon, where he started out in the youth academy having been born in the city into a Georgian family.

His arrival will ease the pressure on captain Alexandre Lacazette, who led Lyon's attack with 22 goals last season but will need a break after representing France at the Olympics.

LAMINE CAMARA (MONACO)

Monaco missed out on Mikautadze but did secure the services of another exciting talent from Metz in the shape of 20-year-old Senegal midfielder Camara.

Camara was named the African young player of the year for 2023 and is destined for a big future. Inconsistent in a poor team last season, his transfer to the principality for a reported 13.5 million euros will give him the chance to make a name for himself in the Champions League.