Having reportedly being turned down by Andre Villas-Boas, Fabio Capello, Guus Hiddink, Michael Laudrup, and even Frank Rijkaard among others, Laurent Blanc may now be the man to finally say “yes” to the reigning French champions.
BeIN Sport revealed early this morning that Blanc had agreed to a 2-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain, but it appears they have jumped the gun a bit.
Blanc’s agent Jean-Pierre Bernes has denied that his client agreed to a deal just yet in, confirming however in an interview with French radio station RMC that the two sides are in negotiations.
A statement appeared on beIN Sports’ website earlier this morning, saying, “An agreement was reached today between Paris St Germain and Laurent Blanc for him to become the new coach of the capital club. An agreement between the former coach of the France team and PSG was reached for two years. It is planned that he will sign the contract next week.”
BeIN Sport is owned and operated by PSG owners Qatari Sports Investments. The original story has been taken down from beIN’s website.
It’s a bit of a surprise that the contract is for two years. Rumors have been flying that PSG have been steadfast in insisting their incoming manager sign just a one-year deal as the French giants anticipate their top target Arsene Wenger’s contract with Arsenal expiring next June.
This has caused a large number of coaches at every level to turn down PSG, wanting more than just a year of job security.
Blanc took charge of the French national team after their disastrous run in the 2010 World Cup through their trip to the quarterfinals of Euro 2012, after which he stepped down. He was also in charge of Ligue 1 side Bordeaux for three years prior to leading Les Blues.
Any appointment PSG can finally make would release Carlo Ancelotti to make his way to Real Madrid, a deal that’s been the worst-kept secret in soccer for the better part of a month or two.
