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- PSG will only fund stadium renovations once venue fully owned by club
- French government have reportedly offered team Stade de France
French soccer giants Paris Saint-Germain have threatened to relocate away from the Parc des Princes unless they can buy the stadium from the Paris City Council.
The defending Ligue 1 champions have been keen to make significant upgrades to their 48,000-seater home of nearly 50 years. A report from CBS previously indicated that the club wanted to spend €500 million (US$521.03 million) to increase the venue’s capacity by 12,000 seats.
Yet the club have made it clear that they will only carry out upgrades for the stadium once assuming full ownership of the venue. PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi recently told Bloomberg that the club had lodged an offer to buy the stadium, which was rejected for being below the council’s asking price.
While Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, is keen to work with the club on possible renovations, she also confirmed the council’s intention to reject any approach from the team, telling newspaper Le Parisien: “Parc des Princes is not for sale. And it will not be sold. That is a firm and definitive position.”
In response to the mayor’s comments, the club voiced their disappointment, adding that the mayor’s decision would cost taxpayers more money. A PSG spokesperson said in a statement: ‘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.
‘PSG has already invested more than €85 million to maintain the stadium, while committing an additional €500 million in renovations for our fans and to allow PSG to grow and compete with other clubs at the highest level in Europe.
‘It is regrettable 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.’
Al-Khelaifi had told Bloomberg that the club had three options, with one possibility thought to be buying the Stade de France. The CBS report had suggested that the French government, which owns the stadium through the Consortium Stade de France, has encouraged the club to make an offer, with the possibility said to be under serious consideration.
The Ligue 1 outfit are also thinking about potentially building a new stadium, with there being two sites close to its current home available for purchase.
