'Real Madrid's offer was similar to PSG's' - UEFA chief Ceferin hits back at Mbappe deal criticism

UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin has hit back at criticism of Kylian Mbappe's new deal at Paris Saint-Germain by insisting Real Madrid tabled a "similar" offer for the forward.

Mbappe reportedly became the highest-paid player in football history by committing to fresh terms at Parc des Princes on May 21.

The 23-year-old rejected a proposed free transfer to Madrid in the process, with La Liga subsequently coming out to slam PSG for tabling a "scandalous" offer that puts "hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk" across the European game.

What has Ceferin said about the Mbappe deal?

Ceferin rejects the suggestion UEFA have ignored a breach of financial fair play regulations while claiming any objections from Spain are hypocritical given reports Madrid were prepared to hand Mbappe equally attractive terms.

"UEFA has financial fair play rules which are quite strict," he told BBC Sport. "Whoever will respect our rules is welcome to play in our competitions; who will not respect the rules will not.

"Look not Real Madrid or anyone else will tell Uefa what to do. They are outraged from one point of view and, as much as I know, their offer was similar to [PSG's] offer."

Ceferin on state-run clubs

The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) subsidiary named Qatar Sports Investments completed a financial takeover at PSG back in 2011, and have since helped transform the club into an elite force in both Ligue 1 and the Champions League.

UEFA's decision to continue to allow state-run clubs has been the subject of much debate, but Ceferin sees no valid reasons why any changes to the current ownership rules should be made.

"I've said that many times and I will say it again, tell me one argument why they shouldn't be the owners of a club," he said.

"If you say that clubs belong to the fans, don't you think that the other English clubs have owners - they have owners from the United States, some from the Middle East, they have owners from England. So it's exactly the same situation and I'm really tired of these accusations without any concrete grounds.

"I want to know who broke the rules and if you break the rules then you will be punished."

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