Cyrille de la Morinerie, with AFP 2:59 pm, November 26, 2021
Leonardo, the sporting director of PSG affirmed to have "no contact" with Zinédine Zidane, while for a few days the rumor swells on the arrival of the Marseillais in Paris.
For its part, the daily "Le Parisien" affirms that the two parties met secretly in early November, which Leonardo denied.
Zidane at PSG?
While the rumor has swelled for a few days, the sporting director of PSG Leonardo confirmed Friday the coach Mauricio Pochettino "who never asked to leave", and claimed to have had "no contact" with Zinédine Zidane, mentioned as possible replacement of the Argentinian.
"No contact" with Zizou
"I think it's important to clarify the situation given the amount of false information circulating. Mauricio Pochettino is under contract with the club until 2023. We don't want Pochettino to leave. He never has. asked to leave and no club have contacted us in relation to him, "said the manager, responding to rumors sending" Pocket "to Manchester United. "We have a lot of respect for Zinédine Zidane, which he did as a player and coach, but I can tell you very clearly that there is no contact and that no meeting with him took place" , he continued, to deny press information to this effect.
The daily
Le Parisien
has indeed made its "One" Friday on a "secret meeting" between the management of PSG and Zidane, affirming that negotiations have been started "for several weeks" between them.
The newspaper evokes a meeting with "Zizou" at the beginning of November at the Royal Monceau, a Parisian palace, which would have attended, "at least", Leonardo and Jean-Claude Blanc, the general manager of the club.
"It's ridiculous to imagine that a meeting with Zinédine Zidane could have taken place in a big hotel in Paris in the eyes of everyone," Leonardo said.
The Zidane rumor has gained momentum in recent days, while that of a departure from Pochettino to England swelled.
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Pochettino "happy" in Paris
According to the British press, Manchester United, in search of a manager after the dismissal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last Sunday, appreciates the profile of the Argentine, who knows the Premier League well for having coached Southampton and Tottenham.
Friday, the "Red Devils" seemed to have set their sights on the German Ralf Rangnick, to ensure the interim until the end of the season, according to the German sports agency SID.
Tuesday, on the eve of the Champions League match between Manchester City and PSG (lost 2-1), "Poche" denied outright the supposed interest of the "Red Devils".
"I'm telling you all. My contract runs until 2023. I'm very happy at Paris Saint-Germain, that's a fact," he said at a press conference.
"I am not a child. I have spent my whole life playing football. I have been coaching for over twelve years. There are rumors in our community. I understand very well what is going on. , sometimes in a positive, sometimes negative way. I don't let myself be distracted. The rumors are there, you have to live with them, "he insisted.