PSG ready to spend money to buy Haaland

The French football team is reportedly looking to pair Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland in their frontline from next season, as a final effort to achieve their dream of winning the Champions League.

According to renowned French sports journalist Daniel Riolo, PSG is willing to spend around $210 million in the 2023 summer transfer window to persuade Man City to release Haaland. This amount is three times the figure Man City paid to release Haaland from his contract with Dortmund last year.

If successful, Haaland will become the second most expensive player in history. Currently, Neymar holds the record of $263 million when he transferred from Barca to PSG in 2017, while Mbappe ranks second at $200 million after leaving Monaco for PSG in 2018.

Despite Haaland’s impressive form at the Etihad Stadium, PSG hopes to persuade the striker with a “huge” salary. Accordingly, the French team could offer Haaland much more than the £375,000/week he currently receives at Man City.

PSG previously purchased Neymar from Barca for €222 million, so their desire to own Haaland for €200 million is not beyond their means.

According to statistics, over the past 10 years since the 2012/13 season, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) has spent €1.446 billion to help PSG strengthen their squad. On average, this figure is €144.6 million per season.

However, what the home team at the Parc des Princes has earned in the Champions League is a big fat 0, with consecutive eliminations in the knockout stages. PSG came very close to winning the coveted title in the 2019/20 season but suffered a 0-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in the final.

Lionel Messi and Neymar may leave PSG in the summer. Messi’s contract expires in June, while Neymar has been disappointing in terms of performance and playing time for the club.

The departure of the above duo will open up a gap in the club’s wage bill, which is the condition for them to recruit Haaland without breaching financial fair play rules.

Coach Christophe Galtier could also leave Parc des Princes in the summer of 2023. PSG recently suffered a humiliating 0-3 defeat to Bayern in the Round of 16 of the Champions League. Many coaches have left PSG after failing to win the Champions League, including Laurent Blanc, Unai Emery, Thomas Tuchel, and Mauricio Pochettino.

According to the Daily Mail, Zinedine Zidane is one of the candidates to replace Galtier. The French coach has been unemployed since leaving Real in June 2021. Zidane had wanted to lead the French national team after the 2022 World Cup, but current coach Didier Deschamps decided to stay.

In 35 appearances for Man City, Haaland has scored 34 goals. The 22-year-old striker still maintains his impressive form, having scored 86 goals in 89 games at Dortmund and 29 goals in 27 games at Salzburg.

However, Man City is not performing as well as expected. The current Premier League champions are not as stable as usual and are currently in second place with 61 points after 27 games, five points behind league leaders Arsenal. In the first leg of the Round of 16 of the Champions League, Man City drew 1-1 away against underdogs Leipzig.

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