Thursday, November 25, 2021 at 13:24• Mart Oude Nijeweeme • Last update: 13:28

Paris Saint-Germain has started negotiations with Zinedine Zidane to serve as Mauricio Pochettino’s successor, assures Le Parisien. Pressure on the Argentine, who has been linked with a move to Manchester United, has increased after the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League. The PSG club management has subsequently decided to bring talks with Zidane to the fore, it sounds like.

According to the above newspaper, the disappointing results of PSG are at the root of the club management’s urge to quickly look for a new coach. Negotiations with Zidane have already started, with the possibility of the former midfielder stepping in mid-season should Pochettino actually leave. The latter seems increasingly likely, as the Argentine coach has been emphatically associated with Manchester United, where he will have to succeed the sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

If Pochettino chooses to leave Paris and return to England, there is a good chance that PSG will deal directly with Zidane, French media reported. During the negotiations, a summer transfer was initially aimed at, but that may now be brought forward. The meeting between Zidane and PSG club management is said to have taken place at the Royal Monceau, one of the most luxurious hotels in Paris, where sporting director Leonardo and Jean-Claude Blanc conducted the negotiations.

Zidane, who left Real Madrid last summer, has never made it a secret that he would love to work as a coach for the French national team. After the disappointing European Championships, that dream seemed to become reality. Didier Deschamps, however, retains the confidence of the French federation for the time being and can show it again next year during the World Cup in Qatar. Zidane also expressed his love for Olympique Marseille in the past. The 108-time French international never played for the club from the south of France, but part of his family lives there.

Manchester Evening News claimed last week that Pochettino is willing to leave for Old Trafford mid-season to fulfill his dream. The Argentine is said to be unhappy in Paris and would like to return to England. However, the coach would have a transfer fee of around twelve million euros in his contract with PSG. Pochettino has been at the helm of PSG since January this year and has a contract in Paris until the summer of 2023. However, the 49-year-old coach does not have a great relationship with Leonardo.