Paris Saint-Germain have severed ties with manager Mauricio Pochettino amid links to former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane and Nice’s Christophe Galtier.

The Ligue 1 champions and Pochettino reached a mutual agreement to end their partnership after 18 months, according to David Ornstein of The Athletic.

Pochettino and club officials held a meeting to review the 2021-22 season, and the two sides concluded that it was best to go in a different direction following a campaign that saw PSG recapture the league title but fail once again in their quest for Champions League glory.

PSG hired the 50-year-old Argentine manager almost two years after Tottenham Hotspur dismissed him. He led Les Parisiens to Ligue 1 and Coupe de France titles but oversaw another premature Champions League exit last season after a summer of adding superstars such as Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Georginio Wijnaldum to boost their chances in Europe.

Pochettino’s future in Paris was considered uncertain following Kylian Mbappe’s contract extension. Reports emerged that PSG were looking to move on from him and Leonardo, who the organization chose to replace with Luis Campos as its football advisor.

PSG will now focus their efforts on hiring a successor for Pochettino, whose contract was set to expire in 2023. Ornstein reports that the club has added Nice’s Galtier to the mix of candidates.

However, it’s understood that French icon Zidane is among the favorites and is being lined up to take the job in Paris. According to a report Friday, there is an agreement in principle between PSG and the 49-year-old former sideline boss, who guided Real Madrid to three Champions League titles while in charge.

Real Madrid completed the signing of highly touted midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni from AS Monaco, the Spanish side announced Saturday.

Tchouameni will join Los Blancos on a six-year contract after spending the last two seasons in Monaco. He will be officially unveiled June 14.

The France international joins the reigning Champions League winners in a move that could reportedly be worth more than €100 million. Real Madrid will pay an initial €80 million plus add-ons that could amount to €20 million, according to The Guardian’s Fabrizio Romano.

It’s understood that Real Madrid and the 22-year-old reached a verbal agreement last Tuesday after Tchouameni chose to join the Spanish giants despite interest from Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain.

Tchouameni is the latest addition to a Real Madrid squad that already features promising midfielders Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde. He’s viewed as the club’s defensive midfielder of the future after Casemiro, 30, calls time on his illustrious career in Madrid.

Since missing out on signing Kylian Mbappe earlier this month, Real Madrid have been busy retooling an already talented squad that’s fresh off winning the Champions League at the end of May. Along with Tchouameni, German defender Antonio Rudiger also joined Real Madrid on a free transfer from Chelsea.

Tchouameni appeared in 35 league matches last season, scoring three times and providing two assists. He earned a senior call-up to Didier Deschamps’ France squad in September and has since become a regular for the 2018 World Cup winner.

Liverpool moved a step closer to securing the services of Darwin Nunez after the Uruguayan marksman agreed to personal terms with the club, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein and James Pearce.

The English giants didn’t balk at Benfica’s €100-million asking price and are therefore expected to smash their club transfer record to sign Nunez.

Discussions are ongoing over the structure of the deal, but it’s widely reported to be worth €80 million up front with a further €20 million in performance-related add-ons.

Despite Liverpool appearing to be in pole position to sign the forward, Manchester United are prepared to compete for Nunez’s signature, sources told ESPN’s Rob Dawson. However, United will play in the Europa League in the 2022-23 season, while Nunez wants Champions League football.

Liverpool are prepared to trump their current club-record fee of £75 million for Virgil van Dijk in 2018 to sign a player whose reputation skyrocketed last season. Nunez scored 34 goals in 41 appearances across all competitions while playing centrally or to the left of the attack.

He could be an automatic replacement for Sadio Mane, who’s apparently attracted two unsuccessful bids from Bayern Munich this summer. The German club is expected to return with a third offer.

Benfica developed some of the Premier League’s biggest stars down the years, including Manchester City’s current stable of Ederson, Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, and Bernardo Silva. Nunez joined Benfica from Spanish side Almeria for €24 million as a raw 20-year-old in 2020 and quickly established himself as the next big name to emerge from the Estadio da Luz.

He’s scored twice in 11 appearances for Uruguay – often playing as an understudy to veterans Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez.

Liverpool are prepared to break their transfer record to land Darwin Nunez.

The Reds are willing to pay €80 million plus €20 million in add-ons after being undeterred by Benfica’s hefty asking price for the coveted Uruguayan striker, according to The Guardian’s Andy Hunter and Fabrizio Romano.

The most Liverpool have paid for a player is the £75 million that Virgil van Dijk cost to sign from Southampton in 2018.

Nunez starred for Benfica last season, leading the Portuguese club and the Primeira Liga with 26 league goals. He also had eight Champions League goals, including two against Liverpool in the quarterfinals.

The 22-year-old is considered the club’s top target, as manager Jurgen Klopp attempts to refurbish an attack that could lose Sadio Mane this summer.

The Senegal international has been heavily linked with a transfer to Bayern Munich after six years at Anfield. It’s understood Liverpool have rejected bids of £25 million and £30 million, but Bayern are likely to return with an improved offer.

Adding Nunez as a replacement could expedite Mane’s possible departure if Bayern meet Liverpool’s valuation, which is reportedly worth more than £40 million, Hunter adds.

Manchester United have also been linked to Nunez but are likely to miss out after failing to secure a spot in the Champions League next season. United will instead feature in the Europa League during manager Erik ten Hag’s first season in charge.