PSG's incredible spending spree this summer

Martin Macdonald

8 Jul 2021 09:05 CDT
4 min read

Paris Saint-Germain have become one of the most free-spending clubs in the world over the past decade.

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Ever since the club was bought by Qatar Sports Investments, billions have been spent on transfers and wages to try and bring PSG to an elite level.

The likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe have been brought to Paris for a combined outlay of €360 million.

The world is in the middle of a pandemic and football has not been immune to the financial impact.

Barcelona, for example, are struggling to register new players due to their wage structure, though that is admittedly as much due to major mismanagement as it is to do with the pandemic.

PSG, meanwhile, are throwing money at players to sign as they attempt to reclaim Ligue 1 and finally win the Champions League.

So, who has been brought in so far in the summer of 2021?

Achraf Hakimi (€70m from Inter + €10m p/a wages)

For all the hundreds of millions that have been spent on attacking talent over the years, PSG have never really put much stock in their full-back positions.

Alessandro Florenzi, on loan from Roma, took up the position last season and before that it was Thomas Meunier, a decent if unispirising person for the role.

But, they have now targeted that position for improvement by going out and buying one of the very best full-back/wing-backs in the world.

Hakimi only spent a year at Inter after joining for €40m last summer, and helped the Italian giants claim their first Scudetto in a decade.

Inter are in an awful state financially and Antonio Conte actually left his role as head coach when he was informed that at least one star player would need to be sold.

That player has turned out to be Hakimi, and although he is much better as a wing-back than a full-back, it is still a major upgrade in that position.

Danilo (€16m from Porto + €4m p/a wages)

Danilo joined on loan from Porto last season and his transfer was made permanent in May of 2021 for a fee of €16m.

If it wasn't for this transfer having already been agreed as an obligation, it is unclear as to whether Mauricio Pochettino would have sanctioned it.

Georginio Wijnaldum (FREE from Liverpool) + €10m p/a wages

Over the past season when Wijnaldum's contract was ticking down at Liverpool, it seemed inevitable that he would leave to join Barcelona.

© ProShots - Georginio Wijnaldum joined PSG on a free transfer

The Dutchman was keen for a new challenge after winning the Champions League and Premier League with the Reds, and it seemed like a reunion with former Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman was on the cards at Camp Nou.

However, at the eleventh hour, PSG blew Barcelona's offer out of the water, reportedly offering Wijnaldum €10m per year.

Sergio Ramos (FREE from Real Madrid + €12m p/a wages)

Ramos missed a lot of the 2020/21 season due to injury at Santiago Bernabeu, which put him in a difficult position when negotiating a new contract with Real Madrid.

As of 2021 Ramos had been with the club for 16 years, and he reportedly requested a two-year contract on the same exorbitant salary he had previously - something which Madrid refused to sanction, offering him a one-year deal instead.

Ramos eventually found himself without a club, but PSG swooped in not only offering him a two-year deal, but on the same €12m per year he was earning in his prime at Madrid.