PSG deny Zidane talks

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi insisted he “never spoke” with Zinedine Zidane about becoming coach in an interview published by French daily Le Parisien on Tuesday, saying the club had “chosen another option”.

“We never spoke with him, neither directly, nor indirectly,” said Al-Khelaifi, without ruling out that others in Qatar had approached the former France star.

“When I say ‘we’, it’s PSG. Me, I am the president of PSG and I never spoke with him.”

The Qatari official said the club was keen to head in a different direction.

“We chose a coach who will be the best for what we want to put in place,” said Al-Khelaifi as he confirmed talks with Nice boss Christophe Galtier.

“I hope we’ll quickly find an agreement but I respect Nice and the president (Jean-Pierre) Rivere, everyone stands up for their own interests.”