PSG to implement contracts paid on a per-game basis

In the final days of the 2022 calendar year, PSG announced the extension of Marco Verratti's deal with the capital club through the 2026 season. What we didn't know, though, is how innovative Verrati's new deal would be.

According to information obtained by L'Equipe, most of Verratti's salary would be paid according to the number of games he paid, pretty much on a per-game basis. The more the midfielder plays, the more he earns.

This is a gamble by the Italy international and Euro champion, mind you. Verratti has played 21 games in the Ligue 1 this season (nine left) but he's not topped 24 in the last four campaigns. With PSG also crashing out of the Champions League in the early knockout rounds, it's hard for Verratti to play in more than eight UCL games per season.

It is believed that sporting advisor Luis Campos, in an effort to cut down wages, is putting this new model in place ahead of next season with Verratti being the first player to accept these innovative terms.

Marquinhos, who has yet to extend his deal with PSG, should follow Verratti. He has not signed any new contract yet although there have been rumors about a deal being virtually down for quite some time now. Could this new per-game model be hurting and delaying the final signing of the contract, though?

The same type of contract would apply to Milan Skriniar, who will join PSG next summer having already signed an agreement with the Parisian organization (Skriniar's deal at Inter runs out next June). It is believed the defender will earn between €10m and €12m per year at PSG, but the details of his contract have not been revealed, including a potential per-game payment model.

This type of innovative deal would work on an "evolving percentage" basis. That means that after one game the player should earn X amount of money, then after the second X+%, with that percentage increasing according to the number of games the player keeps racking up as the season advances.

This model is "intended to be applied to all the players in the current PSG squad and that will arrive in future transfer windows," with the club aiming at "increasing the competitiveness" of the players boasting such deals as they will need to do it all to get to the pitch so they can earn their salaries. It is also expected that this type of contract would make the players focus more on "nutrition, rest, and recuperation."

It surely looks like PSG are trying to explore all possible avenues toward a brighter and more sustainable future, although it is yet unknown if the superstars of the world such as Lionel Messi, Neymar, or the very own Kylian Mbappe would accept to get paid on a per-game basis even knowing they'll be on the pitch more often than not.

One thing is clear, and it is that PSG never run out of ways to generate new storylines and soap operas on a daily basis.