Mauricio Pochettino has quashed talk of him and Kylian Mbappe leaving Paris Saint-Germain this summer by saying the pair will ‘100 per cent’ be at the club next season.
After PSG clinched the Ligue 1 title last week, rumours emerged of disharmony between the Argentine coach and the club’s hierarchy, with both Pochettino and sporting director Leonardo’s jobs said to be under threat.
But Pochettino, who has also been linked with a return to Tottenham this summer, told a press conference both he and star striker Mbappe, whose contract runs out at the end of June, will definitely be at the Parc des Princes next season.
Pochettino went into detail regarding this statement, announcing there have been no fresh talks about his future and that his relationship with the PSG hierarchy is “good”.
Kylian Mbappe (left) with Mauricio Pochettino
“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 added. “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.
“That [the fact me and Mbappe are staying] 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.
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Mauricio Pochettino has suggested he will remain at Paris Saint-Germain into next season and see out his contract which expires in 2023
“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.”
Messi to stay at PSG for another season
Sky Sports News revealed earlier this week that talisman Lionel Messi will remain at PSG for at least another season – despite missing out on the Champions League trophy.
The club’s owners remain unsatisfied with the team’s performance in Europe’s elite club tournament, having been knocked out at the last-16 stage by Real Madrid, despite putting together arguably the world’s most formidable front three of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe.
PSG’s Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Lens at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Saturday, April 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Messi completed the trio on a free transfer from Barcelona last summer in the hope of challenging for the Champions League, although he understood it would be difficult to lift that trophy in his first season at the Parc des Princes, Sky Sports News has been told.
It was his excellent goal that earned the final point needed to lift the Ligue 1 title with a 1-1 draw over Lens and, since he joined, the club have sealed nine new lucrative sponsorship deals – the latest one with footwear marketplace Goat being worth €50m over three years.