PSG Must Raise €60M in Income to Avoid UEFA Penalty for Overspending

Paris Saint-Germain won't face a punishment for overspending provided the Ligue 1 giants raise €60 million in income by the end of June to satisfy UEFA financial fair play rules.

A report from the Associated Press (h/t the Guardian) said: "UEFA was satisfied with deals to sign star forwards Neymar and Kylian Mbappe last year, the transfers worth hundreds of millions of euros have tested PSG's ability to approach break-even figures on football-related business in the financial year ending 30 June."

European football's governing body also made it clear PSG are set to "remain under close scrutiny and will be thoroughly looked at in the coming weeks."

After an investigation, UEFA concluded "'several club sponsorship contracts'" linked to Qatar, the home of the club's owners, were "overstated" by PSG.

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Get French Football News offered more details of the investigation. In particular, it identified an agreement with the Qatar Tourism Authority as one "overvalued" by Les Parisiens.

Tellingly, GFFN also noted how the focus of the investigation was on financial activity from 2015, '16 and '17. Although the club's most recent big-money deals passed inspection, they count against the current financial year, "meaning that PSG are more likely to face punishment this time next year."

While trouble could still await the French top-flight champions down the line, PSG's main task is trimming the squad to balance the books. It won't be easy, though, with Andrew Gibney of Football Whispers pointing out one of the problems:

Former Benfica winger Goncalo Guedes is an obvious potentially saleable asset, with the 21-year-old being sent on loan to Valencia last season. Creative maestro Javier Pastore is another player who could make way, given the talent in front of him.

Pastore has been linked with a move to Premier League side West Ham United, but wage demands are a problem, according to Sky Sports News.

PSG's squad is front-loaded with stars such as Neymar, Mbappe, Edinson Cavani and Angel di Maria. There are plenty of squad players not getting games in the French capital but who are good enough to start for many other clubs.

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It means generating €60 million to get out of UEFA's sights shouldn't be an issue for one of the richest clubs on the planet, even if buyers can low-ball PSG's imperative to sell this summer.

With sanctions so far looking unlikely, questions will naturally be raised about the veracity and impact of FFP rules.