PSG’s FFP crisis: Real Madrid prepare Kylian Mbappe and Neymar raid

Paris Saint-Germain could face losing one of their best players and being chucked out of the Champions League if they are found guilty of breaching financial fair play (FFP) rules.

The French giants are being investigated by Uefa, Spanish newspaper AS reports, over the deals that brought Neymar and Kylian Mbappe to Paris.

Neymar arrived from Barcelona in a £200m deal in August 2017 while Mbappe was signed from Monaco for £166m.

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Financial records of both transfers are being scrutinised by European football’s governing body as are PSG’s sponsorship deals, including one with the Qatar Tourism Authority, says French newspaper L’Equipe.

Qatar-owned PSG were previously sanctioned for their finances in 2014 and recent Football Leaks revelations have put the spotlight back on the club. The Daily Mirror reports that the case has now been reopened and the club’s 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 finances will be investigated.

‘A clear violation of FFP’

In a Football Leaks expose published by Der Spiegel on 2 November, the German magazine said the agreement PSG signed in 2012 with the state-owned Qatar Tourism Authority was worth €215m (£189.7m) per season over five years.

The Der Spiegel report said: “The real reason for the excessive payments was a different one - which is also spelled out in the five-page agreement: Money from the Qatar Tourism Authority was to be used to buy players.”

It went on: “From the very beginning, Uefa’s investigators apparently viewed the billion-euro deal with the Qatar Tourism Authority as a clear violation of financial fair play. They were skeptical of clubs whose sponsoring revenues came almost exclusively from state-owned companies that were under the control of club owners.”

Spanish newspaper Marca reports that Uefa “are clear in their understanding that the current financial fair play model is not enough [and] further steps must be taken”. Marca journalist Jose Felix Diaz adds that while PSG are likely to be sanctioned, there is no talk of the club being excluded from the Champions League despite reports.

However, they may be forced to sell one of their prized assets...

Real ready to raid Paris

AS reports that Neymar and Mbappe’s PSG days “could be numbered following the emergence of new details about Uefa’s ongoing investigations”.

Still searching for a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, it’s no surprise that Real Madrid are being linked with both players.

Real are “keeping close tabs on the situation”, says AS, and former Barcelona star Neymar is “the likelier target of the two”.