The follies are over.
At a time when Erling Haaland panics Europe, with a transfer to 100 million euros announced, PSG is never mentioned among the potential buyers.
He may not need the Norwegian striker Dortmund (20) but it's not just that.
The message is clear at the Factory, at the club's headquarters: you have to close the accounts by weighing and thinking about every euro in a company where compulsive spending was the norm until the arrival of Leandro Paredes in January 2020 for almost 50 million euros.
Paris again broke its piggy bank a few months later to offer itself for almost 60 million euros (bonus included) Mauro Icardi, first loaned 5 million euros by Inter Milan.
But even this amount, Paris can no longer afford it because of the pandemic and less revenue.
“Beyond the PSG, it is a sectoral trend, analyzes Vincent Chaudel, the co-founder of the Observatory of sport business.
The context is not favorable for large transfers, which implies large compensation and large salaries, equivalent to transfer sums for traditional clubs.
Until now, the top clubs didn't ask themselves too many questions: they took the players they wanted when they wanted them.
Today, to afford Haaland, Real Madrid will first have to remove players.
They must now sell before buying, which is the daily life of ordinary clubs.
The great European powers are discovering it.
"
"We do not yet know the rules of the game of financial fair play in Covid mode"
In Paris, we do not prefer to sell its nuggets, at a time when Leonardo, the sports director, intends to extend Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, then undoubtedly Angel Di Maria and Juan Bernat, two men at the end of their contract in June.
Only second knives like Julian Draxler (available in June) or Pablo Sarabia (inexpensive) may soon leave the capital.
The room for maneuver created then concerns the wage bill.
The money saved will pay for future recruits, who must arrive free or in the form of a loan.
"We can not make promises, we explain internally at PSG.
The transfer window will now depend on several factors.
How much does the player cost?
What will our recipes be in the Champions League?
Mauricio Pochettino's side hope to reach at least the quarter-finals after their demonstration in Barcelona on February 16, but the earnings from a quarter-final and a quarterfinal are second to none.
“PSG leaders adopt caution, adds Vincent Chaudel, because there are several uncertainties.
On what foot to dance?
We do not yet know the rules of the game of financial fair play in Covid mode.
In France, revenue from TV rights over the period 2021-2024 remains unclear and, in Europe, will there be a new Champions League or a Superleague?
"
These questions agitate the daily life of Parisian decision-makers, forced to consult the list of free players and to rush, as on the David Alaba file.
Especially since the most powerful club in France cannot rely on the same mechanisms as its rivals.
Bayern Munich have just bought Dayot Upamecano, the French defender from Leipzig, for 40 million euros.
“There is a psychological hold of the Bayern brand on players and Bundesliga clubs, adds Vincent Chaudel.
This brand premium allows him to negotiate lower.
Conversely, we imagined that the PSG had to pay a tax to France.
A player who is worth 30 million euros will be offered 40 or 50 to PSG, which so far prevents him from recruiting Houssem Aouar.
We spoke in the 2010s of a
Chelsea price
, higher than for other clubs because Chelsea are rich.
"
Messi is expensive ... but pays big
Despite everything, the name of Leo Messi comes back with insistence behind the scenes in Paris.
Although free, the best player in the world is not free, in salaries and bonuses.
But this money, Paris could easily find it in fact.
“If Mbappé leaves, PSG will try to make Messi to keep a strong attractiveness, to show that he exists.
In marketing terms, Messi's presence speaks to the world.
It is a considerable source of income.
Profitability is not only based on sporting performance but also on the creation of value.
To compare, Messi would have a Beckham effect, a considerable marketing booster.
“Which would allow PSG to earn more money than the operation costs him.
It is difficult to say for football like the other economic sectors when this world will return to the normality of its ecosystem. First of all, the public will have to find the stands of the stadiums, for the decor and ticketing receipts. "The desire to see top players again will not diminish," concludes Vincent Chaudel. We just have to let the storm pass. The interest will return, the follies with it. "
