PSG are exploring options for Arteta

France's Ligue 1 champions have contacted manager Mikel Arteta after talks with Julian Nagelsmann broke down.

According to RMC Sport , sporting advisor Luis Campos has been in talks with Arteta for the past few weeks about the possibility of managing PSG from the 2023-2024 season.

The Spanish coach is highly regarded for his track record and ability to build a youth team at Arsenal. Since returning to the Emirates Stadium in 2019, Arteta has helped the team win a Community Shield, an FA Cup, and finish as runners-up in the Premier League in the 2022-2023 season, returning to the Champions League after six years.

Additionally, during his professional career, Arteta played for PSG on loan from 2001-2002, scoring five goals in 53 matches, and speaks fluent French.

Manager Arteta applauds to thank the fans after an Arsenal match in the 2022-2023 season. Photo: PA

However, the chances of Arteta accepting PSG's offer are very low. The 41-year-old coach is comfortable with his project at the Emirates Stadium, eager to lead Arsenal in the Champions League next season, and has a contract until summer 2025. Furthermore, as an advisor rather than a sporting director, Campos is not the main decision-maker in appointing a new coach. RMC Sport revealed that Campos contacted Arteta only to find out if the coach was interested in the PSG project.

Although not officially announced, PSG has sacked coach Christophe Galtier. In the 2022-2023 season, PSG were eliminated early in the Champions League Round of 16 and the French Cup Round of 16, but won Ligue 1 with one point more than runners-up Lens.

Julian Nagelsmann was PSG's leading candidate, but the two sides failed to reach an agreement on key terms after two weeks of negotiations. Therefore, the Ligue 1 champions will not be signing the German coach.

According to the British newspaper Sportmail , unlike Arteta, negotiations between PSG and Porto coach Sergio Conceicao are progressing positively. Conceicao is represented by Jorge Mendes, a super agent who is reportedly scheduled to travel to France this weekend to directly negotiate with the PSG management.

Conceicao was considered a suitable candidate to take over at Parc des Princes, given his experience managing Nantes in Ligue 1 and his French language skills. His promise of spending big on transfers and having a star-studded squad including Kylian Mbappe – at least for now – was seen as an attractive proposition. However, PSG would have to pay $20 million to break the Portuguese coach's contract with Porto, which runs until 2024.

Thiago Motta, who made a name for himself by leading Bologna to a ninth-place finish in Serie A this season, is also a potential candidate. Motta's advantage is his experience playing for PSG from 2012–2018, where he captained the team for an extended period, scoring 12 goals in 232 appearances, winning five Ligue 1 titles, four French Cups, four French League Cups, and five French Super Cups.

Hong Duy

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