Paris FC were one of Ligue 1’s biggest movers in the winter transfer window. Three of the Parisians’ new signings are Italian and, according to Foot Mercato, this is not a coincidence but a part of co-owner Red Bull’s football policy.
Despite being one of the big spenders last summer, Paris FC struggled in the early months of the campaign and at the half-way point of the season were sat in 15th place – just above the relegation play-off place.
While their form has improved in 2026 (unbeaten in four games, which include knocking Paris Saint-Germain out of the Coupe de France) it was therefore expected that they would be active in the January transfer window. While the return to France of Marshall Munetsi (29) and the capture of 17-year-old France youth international Rudy Matondo have grabbed headlines, it is the signing of three Italians that has intrigued some.
On the face of it, Paris FC bringing in veteran Azzurri striker Ciro Immobile (35) on a free transfer, along with new full international centre-back Diego Coppola (22) and U21 winger Luca Koleosho (21) on loan from Premier League clubs Brighton and Hove Albion and Burnley FC respectively, suggests opportunism and looking to plug holes in certain areas of the team, with their common nationality merely a coincidence.
However, Foot Mercato suggests that this is one element of a concerted effort on the part of Red Bull – 10 percent shareholders of Paris FC – to extend their reach into Italy and Italian football.
Already major players in other championships including Austria, Germany, the United States, Japan and Brazil, Red Bull have for the past year begun to build a network in the Italian game, forging links with clubs, sporting directors, youth academies, journalists and agents. The company sees Italy as an under-used resource in the areas in which it excels: modernisation of infrastructure, development of young talent and maximisation of profit when selling those players. Having previously discussed potential partnerships with Torino and Genoa, Red Bull’s ultimate aim is to purchase an Italian club and to add it to its multi-club stable.
It is with this wider policy in mind that Paris FC’s winter transfer window took on an Italian flavour, with the club and its owners also mindful that Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso is keen for young players to take on the challenge of playing abroad, in order to mature more quickly and perhaps to gain more playing time than they might expect in a Serie A which always seems to have a slight age bias.
In Coppola’s case, this has not yet worked out as his playing time at Brighton has been limited and he will hope that a loan move to Paris FC will put him back in the reckoning for a place in the World Cup squad, should Italy qualify.
The priorities of Red Bull and of the Italian Football Federation therefore coalesced to provide Paris FC’s sporting director Marco Neppe, overseeing his first full transfer window for the club, with the red light to activate his Italian connections. Working alongside Antoine Arnault (the Arnault family being Paris FC’s majority shareholder) and coach Stéphane Gilli, Neppe pursued several Italian and Italian-based players, before successfully recruiting Immobile, Coppola and Koleosho.
