Ligue 1 English

Mauricio Pochettino insistent he and Kylian Mbappe are ‘100% staying at PSG’

Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino who has been under the harsh glare of the spotlight has now gone on record insisting he has no plans to walk away from the club this summer, but added instead that he plans to continue his working relationship with Kylian Mbappe in Paris the following season.

Pochettino had helmed the Parisian club to win the first league title of his career earlier this month after a 1-1 draw with Lens gave PSG an unsurmountable lead at the Ligue 1 summit. However his tenure came under scrutiny after the glittering squad’s performances this season have fallen well short of expectations with their dismal showing in the Champions League leaving a bitter aftertaste in the mouth.

90min understands that PSG are looking to come to a mutual agreement with the Argentine head coach to terminate their association amicably this summer.

However, with still one more year on his contract, Pochettino after winning the title stressed that he plans to see it out alongside Mbappe, whose own deal runs out this season amid serious interest from La Liga’s Real Madrid.

“There haven’t been any concrete talks, beyond what is normal in terms of our plans with what we have been doing so far,” he said. “We have a natural relationship, we communicate regarding different topics.

Of course, they change depending on the circumstances at the time but the relationship and the communication are good. We keep working hard, not just bearing in mind the present, but also with the responsibility in this job which is to think about the future, so that is what we are doing.

“100% [Mbappe & he will stay], that is how I feel today. That is what I can say to you today. I can’t say anything else. That is how I feel right now.

“This is football, and we never know what might happen. But I have to answer the question based on how I feel today. And this is what I have done.”

Should PSG part ways with Pochettino, expectations are high that they would be targeting Zinedine Zidane ahead of Antonio Conte, who 90min understands is most likely to remain with Tottenham this summer.