Paris Saint-Germain have held talks with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta over the possibility of him becoming the club’s next head coach, according to reports in France.
Arteta guided the Gunners to a second-placed finish in the Premier League last season, challenging Manchester City for the title but eventually falling short.
The Spaniard signed a new deal at Arsenal that will keep him at the Emirates until 2024, however, talks have taken place between Arteta and PSG sporting director Luís Campos, as reported by RMC.
The Ligue 1 champions are searching for a fourth permanent manager in five years after parting ways with Christophe Galtier following a single season in charge.
Arteta’s links with the Parisian vacancy come after talks between the club and former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann reportedly broke down.
Concerned Arsenal supporters will be boosted by the news that discussions with Arteta reportedly didn’t develop as the French side would have hoped.
Campos is supposedly pessimistic over the chances of wrestling the 41-year-old away from England given his commitment to Arsenal.
Arteta is eager to compete in the Champions League with Arsenal upon their return to Europe’s premier cup competition following a six-year absence.
It is also reported that Campos is not the chief decision-maker on appointing a new manager and talks allegedly only took place to sound out whether Arteta would be interested in the PSG project.
However, there is encouraging signs over the possibility of appointing Porto manager Sergio Conceicao with negotiations apparently set to ramp up this weekend.
Conceicao is represented by super-agent Jorge Mendes who is reportedly set to be in France over the weekend to try and thrash out a deal.
The Portuguese is said to be regarded as a great fit for the role due to his experience of managing in Ligue 1 with Nantes and ability to speak French.
The promise of a huge transfer kitty and star-studded squad featuring Kylian Mbappe is said to be an attractive proposal to Conceicao who has previously been mentioned with taking over at the Parc des Princes.
Conceicao is tied down to Porto with a contract until 2024, with PSG facing the possibility of paying a £15.3million release clause to land their managerial target.
Content by : Ryan Walker
