Has Zinedine Zidane agreed to take over at PSG?
French journalist Daniel Riolo, who broke the news of Leo Messi’s arrival in Paris, says the former Real Madrid manager will agree to coach PSG.
Despite rumours that Zinedine Zidane is holding out for the France job should Didier Deschamps decide to leave the reigning World Cup-winners after the 2022 tournament, the former Real Madrid manager’s name continues to be linked with the managerial job at PSG. Mauricio Pochettino is widely expected to leave the Ligue 1 champions this summer and, despite being an avowed fan of the Parisians’ arch-rivals Marseille, Zidane has plenty of popular backing for the gig, not least from French President Emmanuel Macron. According to journalist Daniel Riolo, who broke the news of Leo Messi joining PSG before anyone else, Zidane will be installed as the new Parc des Princes boss before the beginning of the 2022-23 season, which was reportedly one of the demands laid out by Kylian Mbappé when he signed a new, three-year deal at the club.
On his radio show After RMC, Riolo confirmed that PSG have settled on Zidane to succeed Pochettino. Other names that have been mentioned with the managerial post include Nice manager Christophe Galtier and Roma manager José Mourinho, who have both received the backing of incoming sporting director Luis Campos, but PSG have been interested in Zidane since he left the Bernabéu for a second time and could finally be set to land the three-times Champions League-winner.
Al-Khelaifi in Paris to make Pochettino decision
Despite Riolo’s assertion, various French media outlets including Telefoot and Le Parisien have stated that Zidane will not take on a club job before the conclusion of the World Cup, when it is expected Deschamps will hand over the reins of Les Bleus after more than a decade in charge. However, on Friday, RMC also appeared to confirm that an agreement with Zidane is imminent.
In the meantime, PSG owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi is in Paris to make some off-season decisions, chief among them being finding an amicable solution to usher Pochettino to the exit door before beginning the search for a new manager in earnest. The Argentinean is entitled to compensation in the region of €20 million if his contract is termined.