Paris Saint-Germain wasted no time. If the candidacy of Rachida Dati for mayor of Paris left the way clear for the capital club to buy the Parc des Princes, that of Anne Hidalgo’s first deputy, Emmanuel GrĂ©goire, entertained more doubts. As a reminder, the former mayor of Paris said she was opposed to the sale of the Porte d’Auteuil enclosure, which had considerably strained relations between PSG and the town hall. Since then, Emmanuel GrĂ©goire had distanced himself from the position of his superior in this burning issue.
“I know the file by heart and, personally, I am in favor of the sale for a simple reason: if this is the condition for PSG to stay, we must draw the consequences… My idea, I believe it to be original and attractive for the club. It consists of selling the stadium and setting up a partnership project like at Roland-Garros or at the Parc des Expositions”declared the politician last December at the microphone of RMC. Simple campaign promise from a declared candidate for mayor of Paris? Today, Emmanuel Grégoire has succeeded Hidalgo and optimism remains appropriate in this matter.
A starting price of between €200 and €300 million?
Yesterday, the media indicated that Nasser al-KhelaĂŻfi had congratulated GrĂ©goire on his election and that he would soon invite him to the Park. A first contact described as positive. This morning, The Parisian confirms the new mayor’s desire to sell the Parc des Princes to PSG. The matter is far from being won, but GrĂ©goire seems to want to move quickly after all these years of unproductive discussions. The new strongman of the capital “dream of an agreement this summer”according to The Parisianalthough it should take longer.
You will first need to agree on a price. In its columns, the newspaper mentions an amount of between €200 and €300 million as a basis for reflection. Grégoire cannot sell out the Park to its majority, but he cannot set an XXL price either which would risk scaring away PSG. Then, beyond the sale price, it will be necessary to find an agreement on three other projects: the naming, the development of the district and the coverage of the ring road between the Porte de Saint-Cloud and the stadium. As a reminder, Grégoire is opposed to the first point and in his program, Grégoire wanted to make the Porte de Saint-Cloud a green and popular district when PSG dreams rather of growing businesses, restaurants and other activities there supposed to boost its income. The matter is still far from being resolved, but both parties seem determined to do everything to ensure that PSG remains in Paris.
