Marco Verratti insists that his Paris Saint-Germain teammates are not interested in financial gain, while expressing his dream of winning the Champions League with the French side.

PSG have spent hundreds of millions in building an elite squad since the Qatar Investment Authority took control of the side in 2011.

That injection of funds has seen stars such as Kylian Mbappe and Neymar flock to Parc des Princes and has also delivered six of the last seven Ligue 1 titles, although success in Europe remains elusive.

But Verratti dismisses the suggestion that the PSG squad are only there because of the financial rewards on offer.

‘At the start and even now, there are a lot of players who tell me, “Come on, talk to the president, I want to come and play there”,’ the Italy international, who joined the club ahead of their first full season under QIA management in 2012, said in an interview with former PSG defender Laure Boulleau.

‘PSG have become one of the seven or eight best teams in the world. That is why there are so many players, some of which I don’t know, who want to play for PSG.

‘Some say we play at PSG for the money but it’s not the case. If a player plays for money, he’ll go to China.

‘When a player chooses to play for PSG he is also choosing a project that may one day win the Champions League. In this town, that will mean five times more than winning it at another club.’

In March PSG finally overcame the hurdle of the Champions League last 16 when they came from behind to down Borussia Dortmund days before the competition was halted due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The midfielder revealed that in that thrilling second leg the side had to overcome not only the dangerous opposition but their own doubts.

‘It is quite difficult at PSG because when you lose a game there is a lot of pessimism,’ he explained.

‘It is true that in the league we are used to winning, we have won a lot for the last seven years. We have won every trophy possible in France and that is why there is always a lot of hope in the Champions League.

‘But the Champions League is always a very tough competition and you have to keep your confidence levels up because you come up against the strongest players, the strongest teams in Europe, especially when you reach the quarters where they are all there.’