Wealthy Paris St Germain may have to wait years to achieve their ambition to win the Champions League, according to club president Nasser al-Khelaifi.

Qatari investors have spent around €250 million since buying PSG in April 2011 to sign expensive players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva and Ezequiel Lavezzi.

The club, however, could only finish second in Ligue 1 behind Montpellier last season and before last night’s match they started this campaign with three disappointing draws.

“Winning the Champions League is not easy. What Chelsea did last season was impressive but it took them nine years to win it,” said al-Khelaifi, referring to billionaire Russian owner Roman Abramovich’s purchase of the London club in 2003.

“Of course, we want to win the Champions League one day but we are realistic – it takes time,” he said.

PSG, back in the Champions League for the first time since 2005, have been drawn alongside Porto, Dynamo Kiev and Dinamo Zagreb in Group A this season.

“We have been very clear about our objective which is to be really competitive in the Champions League,” added al-Khelaifi.

“Being competitive means fighting in each match and giving 100 per cent. But I am confident in our team. We have an experienced coach (Carlo Ancelotti) and we are really excited.

“We are here for Paris. Paris is unique, it is the only club in the capital. I’m expecting a lot from PSG in terms of resources, revenue, fans and results.”

The 39-year-old businessman said it was important for the squad to believe in the club’s plans.

“This is not just about money, it’s a challenging project,” added al-Khelaifi.

“We are not a big club yet and to become a big club we need challenging players. It’s really important to have a squad that understands where we want to go and that’s simple – we want to be one of the best clubs in Europe.”