PSG plotting devastating plan to ruin Barcelona
Suraj Radia
- 30 Sept 2022 19:33 BST
- 3 min read
The owners of Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly aiming to purchase La Liga side Espanyol in a bid to ‘harm’ their local rivals Barcelona.
According to a report in Spanish outlet SPORT, Qatari Emir, Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, has ordered PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi to begin negotiations to purchase Espanyol in the hopes that their regime can transform the the club and ‘overshadow’ Barcelona.
PSG and Barcelona have become rivals in the footballing world in recent years with officials from both sides getting into bitter spats over the way each club is run.
And the report claims that PSG’s owners wish to take the feud to the next level by purchasing Espanyol in the hopes of funding it in a similar manner to the Saudi takeover of Newcastle United.
Espanyol are currently owned by Chinese investors but the club sit 17th in La Liga and are reportedly concerned over their finances, which could force a sale in the coming months.
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Tensions began when PSG signed Neymar from Barca in 2017 by activating his release clause and the free transfer of Lionel Messi to the Parisians last year further strained the relationship.
Al-Khelaifi was vocal over Barcelona’s recent ‘economical levers’ and insisted the controversial measures would require investigations.
He said: "Is this fair? No, it's not fair. ... Is it legal? I'm not sure. If they allow them, others will do the same.
“UEFA of course have their own [financial] regulations. For sure they're going to look at everything.”
More bad blood between the PSG and La Liga presidents 🤬https://t.co/HlripnXTnx
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) September 24, 2022
Barcelona reported debts of more than €1 billion during their most recent financial report but the club spent more than €200m in the transfer window after selling off future TV revenue and a portion of their merchandising company.
Al-Khelaifi also aimed a subtle jab towards Barcelona’s in a recent speech to European club bosses, saying: “The new financial-sustainability rules are a positive development. But we need to be careful.
“Dangerous levels of debt and magical equity deals are not a sustainable path.”
