Shock reports suggest Jose Mourinho a target to replace Mauricio Pochettino as Paris Saint-Germain head coach

Paris Saint-Germain are considering a shock move to make Jose Mourinho their new head coach, according to reports that emerged on Saturday afternoon.

The Ligue 1 champions are said to be on the verge of sacking Mauricio Pochettino after the French giants suffered a disappointing exit from the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid at the quarter-final stage.

Pochettino is under contract until the end of next season, but PSG will dismiss him in the coming days, if reports are to be believed.

Nice manager Christophe Galtier is the favourite to be his replacement, but surprise reports suggest that Mourinho is also a contender to take the hot seat.

Mourinho has been linked with PSG in the past but the arrival of Luis Campos, who is taking over from Leonardo as sporting director, has led to a revived interest, report The Telegraph.

Mourinho and Campos remain friends having closely worked together at Real Madrid.

Paris Saint-Germain have dominated domestically since Qatar Sports Investment took over the club in 2011, but the European trophy has remained elusive up to now following a string of disappointing defeats in the latter stages.

Mourinho’s pedigree in Europe is said to be the motivating factor in PSG’s interest to lure the Portuguese away from Roma.

The 59-year-old guided Roma to win the first-ever Europa Conference League in May – the first major European trophy ever lifted by the Italian side.

It was his fifth European trophy and first since 2017 when he oversaw Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Ajax in the Europa League.

But it’s in the Champions League where Mourinho first rose to fame, with his unfancied Porto team stunning the world by lifting the coveted trophy in 2004. He repeated the feat with Inter just six years later.

The speculation comes just a week after Mourinho underlined his commitment to Roma following reports that he could leave for Newcastle and the Portugal national team.

Italian journalist Giulio Martina told Eurosport that if PSG do want him, a deal will be done quickly.

"At the moment, there are no reports in Italy about this move," he said. "If PSG is going to be further with the deal, I think Mourinho will be in Paris soon."

Martin also thinks the deal makes sense for Mourinho, saying: "It could be the last chance to win the Champions League again for the Special One and the challenge to reach it with PSG will motivate him.

"Mou knows the situation in Rome. They are never going to be in the fight for the championship with Inter, Milan and Juventus in the short term. He needs the feeling of the wins and at PSG, he should find it."

However, Eurosport France journalist Martin Mosnier has suggested that Mourinho is not in the running this year.

"Today, the favorite is Christophe Galtier, the Nice coach," he explained. Le Parisien reported that PSG and Luis Campos have made it their priority, and no one is talking about Jose Mourinho in France. The other names under consideration are Sergio Conceiçao (FC Porto) and Marcelo Gallardo of River Plate. Although he is not very well known outside France, Galtier has been voted best coach in Ligue 1 three time."

Despite not rating his chances, Mosnier could see the benefit of appointing Mourinho, saying: "Mourinho would bring rigour and discipline. And that's what PSG needs. But he doesn't want to leave Rome and nobody talks about it in France. Mourinho has always been linked with Paris, almost every summer. Today, PSG seems to have moved on."