PSG is in contract talks with Messi and Ramos amid concerns about facing Champions League sanctions for FFP breaches.
PSG is among 10 clubs fined for breaching UEFA”s FFP rules for the 2020/21 season. The French club paid out a €10m fine while having a further €45m suspended pending future accounts. In this case, further punishments are possible.
PSG has been posting record losses in recent years. The most recent set however, is of accounts showing €370m in losses. Lionel Messi abd Sergio Ramos are among the highest earning players. With both out of contract this summer, the club must make tough financial decisions.
Possible sanctions could include being unable to register any new players to their European squad for the next season and a possible reduction in the size of their registered squad for European competition dropping from 25 to 23.
There is also a distance threat that the club could be expelled from European competition entirely. The soones that this could happen would be by the 2024/25 campaign and would be as the result of sustained losses in that timeframe. This therefore means their wage bill needs to be drastically cut in the meantime.
Prior to the side tying down Mbappe to a new three year contract extension, Messi was the best player in the world. The Argentine’s first year in Paris saw him take home an annual salary of £25.5million (€30m).
Although this increased to £34m (€40m) for the current and final year of his two-year deal in Paris, it is claimed that Messi has received more than €1,000m throughout his career.
On to Sergio Ramos, he is out of contract this summer. The 36-years-old Ramos impressed in PSG’s Champions League elimination this week. But the club has a deal lined up to sign Milan Skriniar from Inter while they also want to sign Pau Torres from Villarreal. This may mean Ramos, barring a drastic wage reduction is moved on.
Regardless of all the factors, PSG wants to keep Messi and Ramos at the club. The French giant is aware of an urgent need to restructure their squad and finances. So, new contracts have been put on hold until definitive decisions have been reached.
Along side Mbappe’s new deal last year, PSG also signed Renato Sanches, Vitinha and Carlos Soler. They also added Hugo Ekitike and Nordi Mukiele while making Nuno Mende’s loan move from Sporting Lisbon permanent.