9 months ago
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Paris Saint-Germain are set to leave the Parc des Princes for a new stadium after a dramatic statement from Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
PSG president Al-Khelaifi announced on Thursday that the club will have to leave the Parc des Princes after failing to clinch an agreement with Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo over the sale of the stadium.
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Speaking at the UEFA executive committee, the PSG chief said after a bid was rejected: "It's too easy to say now that the stadium is not for sale anymore.
"We know what we want, we wasted years to try and buy it.
"It's easier for us now, we know what we want. It's over for us. We want to move out of the Parc."
The stadium is not owned by PSG and is instead the property of the City of Paris, who the club rent their ground from.
The French giants have played at the Parc des Princes since 1974, four years after the club was born, while the tenancy does not expire until 2043.
However, PSG's Qatari owners were desperate to purchase the stadium and were ready to submit an offer of £85million.
PSG have already spent over £70m in maintenance and it has been estimated that they would need to splash out a further £420m to complete an expansive upgrade, but are unwilling to do so on a venue they do not own.
Hidalgo swatted aside the bid and slapped a huge price-tag of £250m on the 48,000-seat ground.
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She said: “There will be no sale of the Parc des Princes. It is the heritage of the Parisian people. The subject is closed.”
Where PSG could move to remains to be seen, with the country's national stadium Stade de France strictly off the cards.
Right next door to the Parc des Princes is the 20,000-capaity Stade Jean-Bouin, which is also owned by the City of Paris.
It could provide a temporary home until a more suitable location is found with PSG keen to play in a much bigger arena.
PSG's women's team currently play there while rugby and American football matches are also held there from time to time.
