Paris Saint-Germain’s unceremonious exit at the hands of Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 threatens to evolve into a full-blown shake-up. Sporting director Leonardo is under review, as PSG eye Tottenham’s Fabio Paratici.
A sense of Deja Vu descended upon the traveling support at the Bernabeu, as their team, Paris Saint Germain, exited the UEFA Champions League at the Round-of-16 stage again. The Parisians were knocked out by thirteen-time cup winners Real Madrid, despite leading 2-0 on aggregate up until the hour-mark, making it yet another season for them without Europe’s top honor. In the aftermath of the defeat, sporting director Leonardo’s job is in question, with the French giants lining up Fabio Paratici as a replacement.
Currently in his second stint as a PSG executive, Leonardo was responsible for masterminding last summer’s blockbuster transfer window, during which the club signed Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sergio Ramos, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Lionel Messi as free agents – and also managed to keep Kylian Mbappe despite strong interest from Real Madrid.
However, the team has encountered glaring issues since, domestically, but more importantly, continentally. Manager Mauricio Pochettino’s position has been a source of constant scrutiny, but several reports claim that the shroud of uncertainty has since been extended to Leonardo, following the Parisians’ exit from the Champions League last week.
As per The Athletic, PSG are eyeing Paratici as his replacement – the Italian being someone they have held an interest in for some time. The report claims that the French giants approached Paratici in the summer, too, but he rejected them in favor of Spurs, where he has a year-and-a-half-long contract.
Moreover, despite PSG’s interest, Paratici remains focused on the job at hand in North London, where he is in the midst of rebuilding the squad with Antonio Conte following the departure of Pochettino, and failed short-term stints involving Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espírito Santo.
Despite their continental problems, PSG are leading the domestic league by 15 points with ten games to go.
