Finance

PSG considering Stade de France acquisition as it steps up stadium search

Stade de France

Featured image credit: Zakarie Faibis/CC BY-SA 4.0/Edited for size

Paris Saint-Germain could acquire Stade de France or switch to one of two new sites in the city if it is unable to complete a deal to purchase Parc des Princes.

According to SportBusiness, sources at the club claim that talks over a potential purchase of its home ground from the City Council of Paris have reached a stalemate due to the latter’s valuation of the site.

The Ligue 1 giants claim to have spent more than €85m on renovations for the 48,000-capacity stadium in recent years, despite not owning it. The club has also committed a further €500m for improvements and an expansion project that would see the stadium increase to a capacity of at least 60,000 so it can compete with its European rivals, but only if it is able to buy the stadium.

PSG wants to stay at Parc des Princes — its home since 1974 — and has been in discussions with the local authorities for some years over a deal to acquire the venue. However, the club believes that the city council’s valuation is too high.

According to SportBusiness, having reached a stalemate with the city council, the club is now looking at alternative options for its future home.

One option would be to buy the Stade de France, the national stadium in the Saint-Denis district of the French capital. It is believed that the French Government is looking to see the venue and keen for PSG to pursue a deal.

The club is also thought to have identified two sites in the city where it could potentially build a state-of-the-art new stadium.

“Paris deserves a better stadium,” Nasser Al-Khelaifi, president of PSG, told the Bloomberg news agency. “My first option is we don’t move. But the City of Paris is pushing us to move.”

The French Football Federation’s (FFF) current contract to stage games at the Stade de France is due to run through to 2024, while the French Rugby Federation (FFR) extended its deal through to 2025 back in September 2018.