Mikel Arteta future: Report claims Euro giants in discussions with Arsenal boss after putting him on three-man target list

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been contacted by Paris Saint-Germain as they hunt a replacement for current boss Christophe Galtier, according to a sensational report.

Galtier was appointed PSG manager last summer following the departure of Mauricio Pochettino, who has since moved to Chelsea. PSG decided on Galtier after he helped Lille win a shock Ligue 1 title in the 2020-21 season, while he also guided Nice to the Coupe de France final in 2022.

Under Galtier, PSG were crowned champions of France and also emerged victorious in the Trophée des Champions.

However, on June 6 various sources including ESPN and Le Parisien reported that PSG had opted to sack Galtier. This is because he had failed to win them the Champions League, as they were dumped out of the competition by Bayern in the round of 16.

PSG have recently held talks with Julian Nagelsmann about replacing Galtier. But as per Fabrizio Romano, the two parties failed to agree on some crucial points and the German is no longer in contention.

French source RMC Sport have now revealed where the capital club may go from here. It is claimed that PSG chiefs are big fans of Porto boss Sergio Conceicao.

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The 48-year-old is expected to hold talks with PSG over their manager’s job in the next few days.

But Conceicao is not the only coach in PSG’s sights, as they have come up with a three-man shortlist. And Arsenal leader Arteta is next on it.

PSG interested in Mikel Arteta

The report states that PSG sporting adviser Luis Campos has held initial talks with Arteta in recent weeks about potentially moving to the Parc des Princes.

PSG have been incredibly impressed by the job Arteta has done at Arsenal, having helped them win the FA Cup three years ago and also challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title this term.

Another reason why PSG are considering an approach for Arteta is that he already has history with the club. He played for them from 2001 to 2002, while on loan from Barcelona.

Despite PSG wanting to snare Arteta, the report explains why such a move is unlikely. Arteta is very happy at the Emirates as he feels the Arsenal project is heading in the right direction. If they can add some more top players to their ranks this summer, such as Declan Rice and Kai Havertz, then they might able to steal the Prem trophy away from City.

Plus, Arteta is tied down with Arsenal until 2025. It is likely Arsenal will soon re-enter contract talks with the tactician, having put them on hold in April while they were still in the mix for the title.

Should Arteta reject PSG, as is expected, then another manager who could be interviewed for Galtier’s job is Thiago Motta. The Italian-Brazilian has a great relationship with PSG, having played for them between 2012 and 2018. He even coached PSG’s U19 team after hanging up his boots.

Motta is currently in charge of Serie A club Bologna, although PSG could lure him back to France as he only has one year left on his deal there.

Meanwhile, Saturday’s Transfer Gossip claims Arsenal are in pole position to land an exciting France star.