MANCHESTER UNITED must stump up £10million in compensation to Paris Saint-Germain to land Mauricio Pochettino now, according to reports.
But that figure halves at the end of this season.
Poch, 49, is currently still in charge at PSG, having taken over from Thomas Tuchel last season.
But reports suggest the Argentine would be willing to walk away from the Parc des Princes in order to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Old Trafford immediately, rather than waiting until the summer.
And while that would mean United would not need to appoint an interim boss for the rest of the campaign, it is understood the mid-season switch would cost them an extra £5m.
According to the Mirror, Pochettino’s release package cuts by 50 per cent in the summer when he enters the final year of his PSG contract.
But if both United and Poch are keen to get a deal done before that, it is likely the Red Devils would stump up the extra cash.
Sir Alex Ferguson is reportedly working his magic to try and lure Poch – who was linked with replacing Jose Mourinho in 2018 – to Manchester permanently.
BETTING SPECIAL – GET £50 IN FREE BETS WITH WILLIAM HILL
The former Southampton and Spurs boss is currently in the north-west because PSG take on Manchester City at the Etihad on Wednesday night in the Champions League.
Poch’s family are still based in London rather than moving across to Paris with him which is another contributing factor in his desire to return to the Premier League.
He is also struggling on the pitch, too, after missing out on the Ligue 1 title last season and now trying to cope with big egos in the squad.
Zinedine Zidane was initially linked with the vacancy at United.
However, reports now suggest PSG’s players are readying themselves for his ‘imminent’ arrival as the new manager.
Zidane rejected the approaches from United as he holds out for either the PSG or France gigs.
And free-agent Zizou could be back in the managerial hot seat soon if Poch resigns, despite only taking the job in January.
United have their first match in the post-Solskjaer era this evening when interim boss Michael Carrick leads them against Europa League holders Villarreal in Spain.
⚽ Read our Manchester United live blog for the latest news and transfer gossip from Old Trafford
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
