Paris Saint-Germain have admitted they may leave their current stadium, the Parc des Princes, after the mayor of Paris refused to allow them to buy the ground outright.
The Ligue 1 giants have played their games at the Parc des Princes since 1970 and are believed to have invested around £75m in its improvement over the past few years, despite not actually owning the stadium.
PSG have since promised a further spend of over £400m to modernise the famous stadium if they could also buy the ground’s rights, but talks with Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo over a sale have ended in failure.
“We have a very clear position. The Parc des Princes is not for sale, and it will not be sold. This is a firm and definitive position. It is an exceptional heritage for Parisians,” she told Le Parisien.
Hidalgo is understood to be keen to continue working with PSG on the Parc des Princes but a club spokesperson told ESPN that the Ligue 1 side may be forced to begin searching for a new home as a result of the collapsed negotiations.
Listen now as Scott Saunders hosts Graeme Bailey, Toby Cudworth and Tom Gott in the latest episode of Talking Transfers. This week they discuss Chelsea’s hectic transfer strategy, which includes a loan move for Joao Felix and interest in Romeo Lavia and Marcus Thuram among others, Man Utd’s pursuit of Burnley striker Wout Weghorst, Leandro Trossard’s Brighton future and more. Available on all audio platforms.
If you can’t see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!
“It is surprising and disappointing to hear that the mayor of Paris is taking a position which, effectively, will force PSG, our fans and communities away from the Parc des Princes; while also – quite remarkably – adding tens of millions of Euros to the taxpayer burden to maintain the structure of the building, which is now 50 years old and in need of renovation,” a statement read.
“It is regrettable that the Mayor is now suddenly foreclosing – definitively – the sale discussions we’ve been having for a long time, with the club now sadly forced to advance alternative options for our home, which is not the outcome the club or our fans were hoping for.”
Recent reports in France have suggested that PSG could look to move to the national team’s stadium, the Stade de France.
Credit: 90min.com
