French president Emmanuel Macron is hoping to convince Zinedine Zidane to manage in Ligue 1 in a similar tactic that helped Kylian Mbappe sign a new contract at Paris Saint-Germain.
Mbappe opted to sign a three-year contract extension with the Ligue 1 champions, keeping him in the French capital until 2025. It means he will not be joining Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer, as many had expected – with suggestions that he had given his word to the Spanish giants that he would be joining them this year.
He was said to have a verbal agreement in place to join Madrid earlier this season and the striker had hinted at a move to the Spanish capital while a recent interview suggested that he had been open to leaving France. French president Macron had attempted to persuade Mbappe – with whom he has a friendship – to remain in Paris and reject the approach from the Spanish capital.
Earlier this year, a report in El Mundo said that Macron and former French president Nicolas Sarkozy had both spoken to Mbappe about his future – urging him to stay at the Parc des Princes. Macron has since confirmed that he spoke to Mbappe “in an informal and friendly way” over his future, prior to Mbappe rejecting Madrid to stay in Paris.
Speaking to French media outlet RMC Sport , Macron has now spoken about the possibility of Zidane managing in France and the role he could play in it: "I was able to speak with Kylian Mbappe, but he makes his choice in his conscience. He has shown it, he is very mature, he is building his career and his commitment with a lot of sense of responsibility.
"I haven't spoken to Zinedine Zidane, but I have immense admiration for him, the player, the coach. We really want to have, in the French championship, an athlete and coach of this talent who has been able to bring back three major cups that we covet a lot for our clubs.
Have Your Say! Should PSG appoint Zidane as their next manager? Tell us what you think here.
"I wish for the influence of the French championship and for France that he comes back and that he comes to train a big French club, it would be great. It's my role to say that France is a great nation of sport and football, that there are great audiences who love this sport. It is important to us that the best [are here]."
Zidane remarkably led Real Madrid to three successive Champions League titles during his first two-and-a-half season spell, while also winning two La Liga titles at the club. It has been suggested that the former Madrid boss may be biding his time out of management to wait for the vacancy of French national team coach, with Didier Deschamps potentially leaving the role after this year’s World Cup finals in Qatar.
However, he has been linked with replacing the under-pressure Mauricio Pochettino at Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
