The Spanish football league, LaLiga, has responded angrily to Paris Saint-Germain’s renewal of Kylian Mbappe.
The 23-year-old World Cup winner has been the subject of a big transfer speculation with Real Madrid and until Saturday, was thought to have sealed a move to the Spanish giants.
Real Madrid had bid €230 million for Mbappe in the previous season which failed. Mbappe’s contract was due to expire in June and Los Blancos were ready to offer him a signing-on fee of £110 million and wages of £20 million-a-year after tax.
However, the 2018 Kopa Trophy winner stunned the world, especially Madrid fans who had chanted his name at the Santiago Bernabeu last weekend believing Mbappe was coming to play for their club.
He signed a mega deal which will keep him until 2025 at Parc De Princes, where he will spend another season playing alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar in the world’s most lethal attack.
PSG offered Mbappe a £4 million-per-month salary which is double his pay from his old contract, along with a signing-on fee worth £100 million. He will also get concessions over his image rights and a few other bonuses.
He becomes the world’s highest paid footballer following the new contract, which has now angered LaLiga who were looking forward to having the superstar in their league.
The Spanish league lost Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi in a three-year span and are currently the only top five league without a notable star. While this loss hits their reputation hard, they are more concerned about the financial details.
LaLiga statement on Mbappe renewal
The Spanish league leadership has said that it will complain to UEFA, French tax authorities and the European Union over PSG’s “non-compliance with UEFA’s financial fair play”, while claiming PSG’s behaviour to be similar to that of the European Super League proponents.
A statement from LaLiga on Saturday night read: “This type of agreement attacks the economic sustainability of European football, putting at risk hundreds of thousands of jobs and sporting integrity at risk – not only in European competitions but also in domestic leagues.
“It is scandalous a club like PSG, which last season reported losses of more than €220m, after accumulating losses of more than €700m in prior seasons (while reporting sponsorship income at a doubtful valuation) with a cost of sports staff around €650m for this 2021-22 season, can face an agreement of these characteristics while those clubs that could accept the arrival of the player without seeing their wage bill compromised, are left without being able to sign him.
“For all of the above, LaLiga is going to file a complaint against PSG before UEFA, administrative and tax authorities in France and before the competent bodies of the European Union, to continue defending the economic ecosystem of European football and its sustainability.”
PSG, meanwhile, have stated that they are ready for whatever LaLiga will throw at them in the coming weeks or months.
