The president of Paris Saint-Germain, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, has confirmed Real Madrid have asked the French club for permission to start negotiations with their manager, Carlo Ancelotti.
In an interview with French sports newspaper L’Equipe, Al-Khelaifi admitted that “A few days ago, Real Madrid’s general director contacted me to talk to Ancelotti”.
Al-Khelaifi very politely declined Real’s petition: “If you want to hire Carlo, let me remind you that he still has a year left on his contract”.
“So please respect his contract and respect our club. We respect all clubs, and we expect the same in return. Perhaps we aren’t currently as big as Real Madrid, but we deserve the same respect,” he added.
According to Al-Khelaifi, Real’s general director, Jose Angel Sanchez, apologised and explained he thought Ancelotti’s contract was expiring this year.
“I told him he was mistaken and he said they would take that into account. We want Carlo to stay. Everyone loves him here, the players, the fans, and myself”, he concluded.
Ancelotti has been linked with a move to the Bernabeu for weeks, as Jose Mourinho’s replacement. He even admitted on Sunday that he would talk to PSG about his future “at the end of the season”. However, it seems pretty clear that PSG’s president is intent to force him to finish his contract at Paris.
