Mauricio Pochettino to be sacked by PSG and will target Premier League return

Mauricio Pochettino has reached an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain and will no longer be their head coach.

Telegraph Sport revealed in March that Pochettino would be sacked at the end of this season and he was informed of the decision during a meeting last week.

Under the terms of his contract, which had one more year left to run, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager and his staff – assistants Jesus Perez, Miguel D’Agostino, Toni Jimenez and Pochettino’s son Sebastiano – were due a pay-off of up to 20million euros although PSG were hoping to negotiate a reduced deal.

In fact PSG had been hoping that Pochettino would be appointed as Manchester United’s new manager, thereby saving them having to pay him off, but despite being their first-choice when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked last November he lost out to Erik ten Hag.

Pochettino’s days at PSG were numbered even before the Champions League exit, in the last-16, to Real Madrid and he irritated the club’s hierarchy by flirting with a return to Tottenham last summer. PSG responded by triggering a one-year extension on his contract but they feel he has failed to settle in Paris, despite having played for the club, and despite winning the French title.

Pochettino will argue that PSG’s set-up, which is being overhauled with the departure of sporting director Leonardo and with Luis Campos being appointed a as a football advisor, did not help. Ironically PSG agree with him that a clear-out of the underperforming squad is needed but he will not be a part of that and is likely to take some time out before deciding his next move.

It is understood Pochettino would like to make a return to the Premier League and would have been a target for Spurs once again had Antonio Conte not decided to stay.

PSG’s first-choice to replace Pochettino remains Zinedine Zidane, who has been their long-term target, but his advisor Alain Migliaccio last week insisted that a deal has not been agreed. PSG have also considered making a move for Jose Mourinho but it appears he will stay with Roma while Nice coach Christophe Galtier who, like Mourinho, previously worked with Campos is also being discussed.