PSG Reportedly Step Up Interest in Thomas Tuchel Amid Unai Emery Exit Rumours

Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly ready to accelerate talks with Thomas Tuchel about taking over from Unai Emery as manager in the summer.

According to L'Equipe (h/t Calciomercato), the Ligue 1 side will not approach Chelsea boss Antonio Conte about the position and will instead move to appoint the former Borussia Dortmund chief.

Calciomercato noted that Tuchel has received a number of offers since leaving the Bundesliga side and has known admirers at Chelsea and Arsenal. The former of the two Premier League sides are said to be likely to lose Conte, who is one of the main candidates to take the Italy job.

Journalist Jeremy Smith provided more details from L'Equipe's feature on the potential new PSG boss:

Despite the speculation, PSG's director of football Antero Henrique has said the club remains behind Emery.

"Every day we are confronted with information about the PSG coach," he said, per Jamie Smith of Goal. "To be clear: the coach of Paris Saint-Germain is Unai Emery, he has a contract with the club and this is not the time to talk about this subject."

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Emery was appointed by PSG in the summer of 2016, and given his obvious European pedigree—he won three successive UEFA Europa League titles with Sevilla before the move—it was hoped he would be able to push the French giants closer to continental glory.

However, after a catastrophic collapse in the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League against Barcelona and another elimination at the last-16 stage against Real Madrid this season, the capital club don't appear to be any closer to the game's biggest club prize under his watch.

It appears as though some of the PSG players are expecting a change of leadership in the summer:

Tuchel would be an intriguing appointment, as he is considered to be one of the brightest minds in European football.

The 44-year-old took over from Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund in 2015, and in his two seasons at the Westfalenstadion, his team played some excellent football. He also steered BVB to the DFB-Pokal before an ill-tempered departure in 2017.

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While the brief at PSG would be completely different to any job Tuchel has taken on so far, the chance to work with players like Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani would be tempting.

Jonathon Johnson of ESPN FC hinted that there may be stronger alternatives than the German:

The pressure on any potential successor to Emery at PSG will be huge. Winning the three domestic prizes in France, including Ligue 1, is expected of the Parisian side, while the Champions League is the ultimate ambition for the club.

Tuchel brings tactical acumen and a possession-based style of football that is easy on the eye for supporters. If he was to get the job, it'd be intriguing to see what he was able to do with some of the world's best attacking players.