Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has rejected an offer from Paris Saint-Germain to buy the Parc des Princes, branding the offer ‘ridiculous’.
PSG have invested €85m in the stadium, which they rent from the city, and have pledged to spend a further €450m to modernise the venue if they can also buy its ownership, which Hidalgo has thus far refused to agree to.
Hidalgo had publicly insisted that the Parc des Princes was not for sale but has since changed her tune and allowed offers, although PSG‘s latest proposal was swiftly shot down.
“We opened the door to the possibility of selling the stadium to our club because it’s true that if you look at the economic model of the biggest clubs, almost all of them own their stadiums,” Hidalgo told RFI.
“There are also prices that must be set and have to correspond to the property in question. PSG offered €38m for the stadium. It’s ridiculous.
“It may be a bluff or a misunderstanding about what our democratic rules are. We are in a country where the rule of law works, so there are procedures.”
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Amid their ongoing pursuit of the rights to their current home, PSG have also formalised their interest in buying the Stade de France.
The home of the French national team is up for grabs when its current lease runs out in 2025, and the government have already called for offers, either temporary or permanent. PSG are understood to have lodged a willingness to buy the stadium.
However, PSG’s top priority is to remain at the Parc des Princes and there are plans to return to the negotiating table with Hidalgo to try and get a deal over the line.
Local reports have also suggested PSG are exploring building their own stadium near the new training complex in Poissy or perhaps at the Saint-Cloud racecourse.
Club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has made no secret that he wants PSG to have the ability to host the Champions League final at some point in the future.
UEFA regulations demand that a final venue must hold at least 60,000 seats, but the Parc des Princes falls some way short of that with a capacity of 48,000. Renovation to that extent is unlikely to be sanctioned unless PSG are willing to put in all of the money – something they would only be prepared to do for ownership rights.
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