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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) has reportedly put contract talks with Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi on hold due to fears of UEFA Champions League sanctions for Financial Fair Play (FFP) breaches.
Les Parisiens were among 10 clubs fined for breaching UEFA's FFP in the 2020-21 campaign. They eventually paid a €10 million fine and had a further €45 million suspended pending future accounts with the possibility of future punishment.
According to French outlet L'Equipe (h/t Mirror), PSG wants to keep Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi at the club beyond the summer. Their respective contracts expire at the end of the season.
However, potential FFP breaches and subsequent Champions League sanctions mean that renewal may not be feasible at the moment. PSG's latest accounts show €370 million in losses.
If the club continues to post sustained losses, then they face the possibility of being expelled from the Champions League as early as the 2024-25 season (h/t Diario AS). Offloading Lionel Messi (35) and Sergio Ramos (36) could go a long way in balancing their books.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or will have reportedly pocketed €70 million in two years' wages by the end of the campaign. Ramos, meanwhile, is believed to be earning €11 million annually at the Parc des Princes, as per Marca.
The Argentine icon's importance for the Parc des Princes outfit cannot be understated. His arrival in the summer of 2021 was a commercial success that has paid dividends on the field.
He has recorded 29 goals and 32 assists in 65 games across competitions for the French giants. After an injury-hit first season in Paris where he was limited to just 12 Ligue 1 appearances, Ramos has featured in 36 games across competitions this term.
Lionel Messi yet to score a knockout goal for PSG in the UEFA Champions League
Lionel Messi's arrival at the Parc des Princes would have filled Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) fans with the hope of winning their first-ever UEFA Champions League title.
However, Les Parisiens have been eliminated in the last-16 stage in both seasons with the Argentine on their books. Bayern Munich secured a 3-0 aggregate win over them in the round of 16 this campaign, with Lionel Messi being ineffective in both games.
He has nine goals and four assists in 10 Champions League group-stage games with the French outfit. Those numbers drop to zero in four games when knockout matches are considered.
Former PSG winger Jerome Rothen has gone so far as to say that Messi's transfer to the French capital has been a failure.
