This summer has witnessed a rebirth of epic proportions for perennial underachievers Paris Saint-Germain; a club that until last season had slipped into the mould of a mid-table club with ideas above their station. Their fans can now dream again following the takeover of the club by Qatar Sports Investments and the massive impact that the club is having on the transfer market as a result of its new-found wealth.

Following the end of last season where PSG finished fourth, narrowly missing out on qualification for the Champions League on the last day of the season thanks to Lyon’s victory over Monaco that condemned the latter to relegation, rumours began to abound that a long-mooted takeover of the club was about to happen. These whispers were true and it was announced shortly afterwards that a deal had been agreed that would see QSI buy a 70% majority share in the club, replacing previous owners Colony Capital.

Upon their arrival, the new owners declared that they wanted to build France’s strongest football team and to compete seriously in Europe competitions. It soon emerged that to oversee this radical transformation of the club the Qataris had approached Leonardo, a former PSG player from the mid ‘90’s and a transfer specialist.

“We don’t want to buy Lionel Messi, but we want to invest in the greatest talents of tomorrow and, amongst them will be French players,” claimed Nasser Al-Khelaifi, QSI spokesman. Leonardo also added: “They want to do something long-term here and build a team.”

Although it was initially thought that the Brazilian and club President Robin Leproux could work together, it soon became clear during a very public pursuit of the former AC and Inter Milan manager that Leo desired sole control over all sporting matters at the club. The pressure finally told and Leproux, the man responsible for the astute signings of Kévin Gameiro and Nicolas Douchez was given his marching orders.

With Leonardo now Sporting Director at the club he has began the task of identifying and bringing in the necessary talent to take les Parisiens to the next level and start achieving their objectives. Amongst the first arrivals were Jérémy Ménez and Blaise Matuidi, two young and hungry members of Laurent Blanc’s new-look France side who ave also grown up in the area supporting the club. This approach now forms part of the new PSG model for success and the combination of talented young French internationals, experienced Ligue 1 veterans and exciting talent from all over the world is a potent one.

Leonardo acknowledged as much when unveiling the pair when he said: ”The first element in our decision was the quality of Blaise and Jérémy and it’s very important to have French internationals with us that were desperate to join the club despite other offers.”

Following Ménez and Matuidi through the door are Milan Biševac, Valenciennes’ Serbian centre-back who has a long-standing relationship with current manager Antoine Kombouaré, Salvatore Sirigu a promising young Italian goalkeeper dubbed “vice-Buffon” by Leonardo and Momo Sissoko, a surprise move given his injury troubles but a formidable midfielder when fit. These additions form the crux of what is a strong first XI with more depth than last season now available to Kombouaré.

However, these deals were only a warm-up for what was to follow next. As it was being announced that the capital club were completing deals for Sirigu and Sissoko, details of a €42million move to Paris for the Sirigu’s Palermo teammate and Argentine playmaker Javier Pastore began to surface. These soon turned out to be more than rumours and after days of speculation club President Maurizio Zamparini claimed the midfielder would be leaving for Paris, which was then also confirmed by the player via his official website.

Speaking in Italy, Zamparini claimed: “Leonardo is a great man. He called me and told me he was very interested in Pastore. Everything has been done and conducted the right way. I have great respect for him and I am glad Pastore is joining PSG.”

Whilst the player told his official website: “I want to be a part of Paris St Germain, which is a great club with a great history. I care very much about the sporting project and I am very eager to begin this new phase. They explained the project and immediately seduced me to the challenge. I want the team to succeed in everything.”

The midfield maestro was unveiled to a delirious Parc des Princes on Saturday before their disappointing 0-1 home defeat to Lorient. However, the Argentine will not be available for selection until September as he recovers from his involvement in this summer’s Copa America.

The Pastore deal is a huge coup, not just for PSG but also for Ligue 1 as it marks a watershed moment in French clubs’ abilities to attract the biggest talents to come and play in France. For such a highly-rated player who was sought after by so many clubs to choose to play for les Rouges-et-Bleu is testament to the strong project that QSI are building at Parc des Princes. Although cynics will claim that he is just going for the money, it is impossible to fault Leonardo’s ambitious transfer policy so far. His personal involvement in the transfers combined with the Qataris vision for the club, the talented group of players already in place and such a fabulous setting to play football in is now a massive pull for the biggest names in football.

Although Pastore might be one of the last names to join the club in this transfer window, expected future dealings for the club include Manchester United’s Dimitar Berbatov and Santos’ exceptional pairing of Ganso and Neymar. The club still have a €40million bid in for Ganso and according to the Brazilian club’s President Leonardo has contacted him about the possibility of signing Neymar too. If PSG were to sign these names it would turn the club into a footballing playground, giving them one of the strongest sides in Europe and would see Ligue 1 catch up with its more established European rivals in terms of fan interest.

On the subject of Ganso, Brazilian FIFA agent Mario Miele said: “Regarding Ganso, it is Paris Saint-Germain, then Milan and Manchester United. My impression with Leonardo in France is that they may soon pay the full termination clause of €50million since they have already submitted a bid of €45million.”

So what can the club hope for in the future? The immediate aim is to enjoy success domestically and gain entry into the Champions League whilst collecting silverware. A European triumph is QSI’s ultimate goal. The progress made so far under the new ownership is impressive but Leonardo and Antoine Kombouaré both know that to continue this good progress, Champions League football next season will be an absolute minimum.

If Kombouaré will still at the club remains to be seen. His position has been assured by the Qataris spokesman Nasser Al-Khelaifi but question marks over his long-term future at the club remain and Saturday’s home defeat in the opening match of the season to Lorient will have turned up the heat on his seat.

“Kombouaré is the coach. That is that,” claimed Al-Khelaifi at Leonardo’s unveiling but it is hardly convincing just yet.

The Brazilian has ruled himself out of future management but other higher-profile French managers would surely be appetising targets for the club should they dispense with the current incumbent. Another interesting development will be to see how the young French talent in the club’s current squad fares this coming season and whether they will stick around next year should the club bring in another avalanche of big names.

Players such as Clément Chantôme and Guillaume Hoarau currently find their places in the side under threat in light of potential new arrivals and it would be a shame to see such talent go to waste. PSG may be an exciting new experiment for Leonardo, the Qataris and their fans, but there was some truth to Michel Platini’s comments about the capital club losing their identity following the takeover.

“I am not a fan of clubs that buy player left, right and centre and lose their character,” claimed the UEFA President.

If they dispense of most of the thriving French talent currently in the side, then he does have a point.

Jonathan also writes the ‘Le Gossip’ column for skysports.com and is a member of the French Football Weekly team where he co-hosts the podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @Jon_LeGossip and can find his work on French football at French Football Weekly.