5 times PSG overpaid for a player
While clubs like Manchester United and Barcelona used to center their legacy on developing raw talent, newcomers Manchester City and PSG have had a much smoother road to the top. The heavy investment in both these cash-laden clubs has led them to superstardom, attracting any player that fancies them on their way to numerous titles. PSG, in particular, have created a monopoly in their domestic league, killing any competition with the flick of a pen.
PSG's exorbitant spending over the past few years
Since their big-money takeover by the state-run shareholding organization Qatar Sports Investments in 2011, PSG have never shied away from forking out sumptuous amounts of cash. The French giants have purchased as many as 11 players for a fee in excess of €40 million in the last decade.
PSG will reportedly turn their attention to signing Mohamed Salah should they fail in a move to recruit Erling Haaland.
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Their €145 million acquisition of Kylian Mbappe in 2017 from direct title-rivals Monaco solidified PSG's position as the biggest footballing powerhouse in Ligue 1. While other promising French teams are periodically raided for their talents, Les Parisiens have the liberty of poaching stars from the biggest clubs. To quantify their financial dominance, PSG have racked up transfer bills amounting to €1.4 billion since 2011.
With such a huge overall spend, the nine-time Ligue 1 champions are bound to have issued undeserving transfer fees for some of their signings. On that note, let's take a look at five of the most overpaid PSG signings of all time:
#5 Thilo Kehrer - €37 million
With the combined purchases of Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes, PSG have finally addressed their defensive issues in a reliable manner. The Parisians had tried to fix their backline woes earlier, with the procurement of Thilo Kehrer in 2018, but to no avail.
Aged 22 at the time of his transfer, Kehrer was viewed as the next big thing in German football. His versatility alerted several top clubs in need of a young centre-half. However, PSG successfully fended off interest from all interested parties, paying €37 million to Schalke for Kehrer's services.
Las firmas no-look: Thilo Kehrer, el jugador del PSG que da autógrafos sin mirar. 👀 https://t.co/6Wak0JnOd2
Safe to say, the 25-year-old German has failed to set the world alight in his three-year spell in the French capital. His failure to match his team-mates' quality at the back has resulted in PSG allowing the signings of several defensive recruits. With new arrivals, Kehrer has fallen further down the pecking order, justifying his inclusion in the list.
#4 David Luiz - €49.5 million
In the summer of 2014, PSG were in dire need of some defensive reinforcements. Aside from a 20-year-old Marquinhos, who was yet to find his footing in France, Thiago Silva was the only world-class centre-half at the Parc des Princes.
Possessing all the riches in the world, PSG decided to shell out a whopping €49.5 million on Chelsea's star defender David Luiz, making him the most expensive defender back then. The erratic centre-half did have his moments in a PSG shirt, famously scoring against his former side in the Champions League Round-of-16 in 2015.
Report: Affection for PSG Kept David Luiz From Signing With Olympique de Marseille This Summer psgtalk.com/2021/09/report…
Nevertheless, the fee paid by Les Parisiens to acquire Luiz was undoubtedly overpriced since the Brazilian was sold back to Chelsea just two years later. Moreover, he was offloaded to the Blues for a significantly less amount, resulting in a €15 million loss for PSG.
Also read: 5 players PSG should sell in 2022