Paris Saint-Germain Set To Replace Laurent Blanc

Paris Saint Germain are set to replace their manager Laurent Blanc, as per reports.

Laurent Blanc replaced Carlo Ancelotti as the new PSG boss back in June 2013, and has since won three back-to-back league titles and two back-to-back domestic trebles, by clinching the Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue titles this season as well.

The former Inter Milan and Manchester United defender has managed to establish PSG as the single-most dominant force in French football, but has failed to make much of an impact in the elite European competition, as the French giants were knocked out in the quarter finals by Manchester City in this season’s UEFA Champions League.

Such consistent failure on the grandest stage of European football has led the Paris Saint-Germain owners to consider replacing Blanc as manager, emerging reports have suggested. Club chairman Al-Khelaifi is believed to be happy with the Frenchman being at the PSG helm, but is reportedly being pressured and forced to sack Laurent Blanc by Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani – the club’s owner.

And if Blanc does get sacked, he will receive a sum of €10-15 million in return, as compensation for getting sacked just four months after signing a new two year-contract extension.

The French Champions are looking to replace their 50-year-old manager with Diego Simeone, who managed to take Atletico Madrid to the Champions League final for the second time in three years, and once again faced defeat at the hands of inter-city rivals Real Madrid. However, the PSG officials are aware that it will be difficult to lure the Argentine away from his beloved club, and have therefore identified another potential target: Unai Emery.

Unai Emery, who previously won the Ligue 1 title with Bordeaux, has done brilliantly in Europe with his current club Sevilla, by winning the Europa League three seasons in a row. PSG are hoping Emery would be able to replicate a similar success in the Champions League with PSG, due to the availability of better players and greater monetary resources.