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Manchester United are to press ahead with plans to offer Jose Mourinho a five-year contract worth £65 million despite apparent interest from Paris Saint-Germain.
Mourinho caused a stir earlier this month when he admitted he does not see himself ending his career at Old Trafford and referred to the project at PSG as “magic, quality, youth, it’s fantastic.”
And while a source close to PSG has told Goal that the French capital club could well make a splash for the Portuguese in the near future, United are ready to offer their manager a new long-term deal as planned.
The former Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid boss told TF1’s Telefoot recently: “The only thing I can say is that I am still a coach with worries, with ambitions and with the desire to do new things. And I don’t believe… no, I’m sure that I won’t end my career at United.”
He added: “The other day my son who lives in London went to Paris and not to Manchester to watch the match… because at the moment in Paris there is something special. Magic, quality, youth, it’s fantastic.”
PSG are currently in the limelight after shattering the world transfer record in the summer to sign Neymar from Barcelona as well as adding Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe, and their interest in Mourinho comes amid doubts over current boss Unai Emery.
The former Sevilla coach is set to be jettisoned by the PSG board at the first convenient opportunity, and Portuguese sporting director Antero Henrique is believed to count his compatriot as a favoured replacement.
Mourinho clarified his comments regarding his plans last week, explaining: “The answer is that nothing is happening; I am not signing a new five-year contract and I am not leaving for PSG. I have a contract and that is it.
“The only thing that I told, and is true and there was not misinterpretation of my words, is I am not going to end my career at Manchester United – and I ask how is it possible in modern football that a manager is going to last 15 or 20 years.”
And undeterred by PSG’s interest, United are set to go ahead with plans to present a new long-term contract to Mourinho and his advisers in the next few weeks.
The deal would see Mourinho collect £250,000 a week and, if honoured in its entirety, would take him beyond his longest previous tenure at a club when managing Chelsea between June 2004 and September 2007.
Mourinho arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2016 on a three-year deal and oversaw victories in the Europa League, League Cup and Community Shield in his first campaign in charge.
But after a flying start to 2017-18 United suffered their first defeat of the Premier League season on Saturday when losing 2-1 to newly-promoted Huddersfield Town and find themselves five points behind pace-setting local rivals Manchester City.
