Neymar and Mbappé are among the highest paid players in the world. - Bertrand GUAY / AFP

PSG declared the third highest payroll in Europe in 2018, according to a report that UEFA published Thursday and which also points to the "significant" increase in revenues of the champion club of France. The PSG, with 337 million euros in payroll, comes just behind the total emoluments paid by FC Barcelona (529 million) and Real Madrid (431 million), according to data from the European body gathered in its annual panorama of club football.

The club owned by the QSI investment fund QSI has not counted the expenses, increasing its payroll by 24% over a year. This increase coincides with the arrivals in the summer of 2017 of superstars Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, two of the best paid players on the continent. But Monaco was even more generous over the same period (+ 34%). ASM spends more on salaries than it earns in revenue, according to UEFA.

The Mbappé-Neymar tandem is worth more than 400 million euros according to a study via @ 20minutesSport https://t.co/JnjlgZ1ODX

- 20 Minutes Sport (@ 20minutesSport) January 15, 2020

Ligue 1 still lagging behind

The report also points to the “significant” growth in PSG turnover (+ 18%, to 638 million euros in 2019) which allows it to rise to fifth place in Europe in the category. These figures join those of the firm Deloitte (635.9 million) released on Tuesday and which place FC Barcelona at the top of the ranking with 840 million euros in revenue.

The good performance of Olympique Lyonnais (€ 221 million in revenue in 2019, +57 million in one year) is also cited by the body. But overall, French clubs are doing worse than their European neighbors. Ligue 1 generated 1.7 billion in 2018, less than Italy (2.3), Spain (3.1), Germany (3.2) and England (5, 4). TV rights represent the main source of revenue, at 37%. The expected increase in these from 2020 (1.1 billion per year) suggests a beginning of catching up for L1.

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