Zinedine Zidane Reportedly Paris Saint-Germain's Dream Managerial Appointment

Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly "dreaming" of recruiting French football icon Zinedine Zidane to their managerial hot seat, with the Ligue 1 titans hosting his Real Madrid side on Tuesday evening.

The two powerhouses will collide in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 meeting, and PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is motivated to recruit the 1998 FIFA World Cup winner, per J.L. Calderon of Marca.

PSG have built one of the most intimidating squads in club football after adding Neymar and Kylian Mbappe to their ranks last summer, but it's suggested a revered managerial presence is the piece needed to complete their puzzle.

It wasn't long ago that Real's domestic struggles this season fed the notion Zidane might—and still could—be fired, and Spanish football writer Andy West said he was surviving on his legacy:

It's no secret Al-Khelaifi wants to bring the Champions League trophy to the Parc des Princes, and it's believed Zidane—capped 108 times for France—could hold the key to unlocking the door to European glory.

The 45-year-old won the competition once with Real as a player and takes a 3-1 aggregate lead to the Parc des Princes on Tuesday as he looks to lead Los Merengues to a third successive Champions League crown.

Calderon suggested the Ligue 1 leaders want Zidane as the "diamond in the crown of their new project," despite the fact his only visits to PSG as a player were as part of the opposition during stints with Cannes, Bordeaux and Juventus.

Unai Emery is the man he stands to replace if there were to be a managerial change this summer. The Spaniard suggested after the 3-1 opening-leg defeat in Madrid that his side have the capability to beat Real in Paris, via Goal:

The Champions League is the only trophy left in Real's sights, with the team third in La Liga and 15 points off leaders Barcelona, while Leganes ousted them from the Copa del Rey at the quarter-final stage.

Broadcaster Deji Faremi agreed in January that Zidane's reputation at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu had suffered a serious dent due to flagging form this season:

Despite their successes since the Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) takeover in 2011, PSG have struggled to maintain long-term managerial appointments. Luis Fernandez (2000-03) and Laurent Blanc (2013-16) are the only coaches in the 21st century who have lasted more than two years at the club's helm.

ESPN FC's Simon Kuper recently said Zidane, the driving force behind Les Bleus' famous 1998 World Cup win and the 2000 European Championship triumph that followed, is the "one thing that still unifies a fiercely divided France."

That's the kind of status he holds despite having yet to coach outside Real Madrid's walls, and PSG are seemingly keen to see if he can sprinkle some stardust in the French capital.