Paris Saint-Germain’s Qatari owners want to slash the club’s wage bill by 30 per cent by the end of this summer’s transfer window.
The French champions have been crippled in their attempts to strengthen other areas of their squad due to the enormity of the contracts handed out to Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
A Financial Fair Play agreement with UEFA means the Ligue 1 side will look to impose a spending reduction according to The Times.
Therefore one of PSG’s star trio could be set for a departure this summer in an attempt to balance the books.
Lionel Messi is out of contract in June and despite reports suggesting the Argentine has verbally agreed an extension, nothing has yet been signed leaving Inter Miami and Barcelona both dreaming of a swoop for the World Cup winner.
Messi earns an after-tax salary of £31million and as much as PSG want the star to remain in the French capital, they could be forced into letting go.
Neymar’s future is also unclear despite his insistence to see out his contract which runs until 2027.
Reports in France suggest sporting advisor Luis Campos has been tasked with finding a new club for the 31-year-old Brazilian who has suffered a host of ankle injuries during his time in the French capital and has never had the impact expected since his arrival in 2017.
Most read in Football
Neymar earns a reported £600,000-per-week and face a battle on their hands to find a club happy to take on his whopping salary.
One player the club insist will not be leaving this summer is Kylian Mbappe who the owners consider to be central to the project.
But his time in Paris could be coming to an end next year with the 24-year-old out of contract in June 2024. He has the option to extend for a further year but continuing his Parisian adventure seems unlikely with Real Madrid expected to renew their interest.
Qatar’s decision to trim the wage bill is not connected to their recent offer to buy Manchester United.
In September, PSG entered into a three-year settlement agreement with Uefa’s Club Financial Control Body after failing to meet break-even requirements for the 2021-22 season.
PSG accepted a fine of up to £57.5m over the next three seasons. However, if the club does not meet the agreed targets on reducing its deficits until the end of the 2025-26 season then sanctions could be placed on them.
It risks a reduction on squad size for European club competitions, a ban on new player registrations or a potential exclusion from the Champions League.