Paris Saint-Germain end interest in Julian Nagelsmann?

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 17 June 2023

Former Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann is no longer in the running to become Paris Saint-Germain's new manager, according to a report.

Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly ended their interest in former Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann.

The 35-year-old has been without a role since being let go by the German champions in a surprise sacking at the end of March, but he has been linked with a plethora of top jobs.

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur were both understood to have been considering a swoop for Nagelsmann, but the two London clubs dropped their interest to hire Mauricio Pochettino and Ange Postecoglou respectively.

A move to Real Madrid was also briefly mooted before Carlo Ancelotti confirmed his desire to stay on for one more season, and PSG subsequently moved to the head of the queue.

Nagelsmann is believed to have held positive talks with Doha-based chiefs over the PSG job, which will soon become available as the French champions prepare to sack Christophe Galtier.

Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann on September 10, 2022 © Reuters

However, L'Equipe states that negotiations between Nagelsmann and PSG have now broken down, and the German is no longer considered a candidate for the Parisiens job.

The report states that Nagelsmann and PSG have been in discussions for several weeks, but both parties have now mutually agreed to walk away from talks after failing to come to an agreement on "key details".

It is unclear what those details specifically were, but PSG are already believed to be in advanced discussions with another unnamed managerial candidate and want to wrap up an agreement next week.

Having apparently been turned down again by Zinedine Zidane, the French champions are rumoured to have identified ex-Spain head coach Luis Enrique as their new number one target.

The 53-year-old - who was also said to have been on Chelsea and Tottenham's radar - has been out of work since the World Cup, but Thiago Motta could be an alternative option.

Spain boss Luis Enrique pictured at the World Cup on December 1, 2022 © Reuters

Motta - who retired as a player with PSG in 2018 - has won 14 of his 34 matches in charge of Bologna so far, and he remains under contract with the Italian club for another 12 months.

Similarly, Galtier's Parc des Princes deal will expire in 2024, but the 56-year-old is not expected to keep his job beyond the summer in the wake of a tumultuous season.

Galtier led PSG to an 11th Ligue 1 title, but Les Parisiens only finished one point clear of Lens at the top of the table and suffered another Champions League last-16 exit at the hands of Bayern Munich.

Galtier was also at the centre of a racism storm regarding alleged comments he made about black and Muslim players while in charge of Nice last year, which the Frenchman denies.