French fancy: Ancelotti is set to take over as PSG
boss
Carlo Ancelotti was in the French capital on
Wednesday night to take over as coach of mega-rich Paris
Saint-Germain - and is expected to make Chelsea defender Alex his
first signing.
The ex-Stamford Bridge boss is believed to have agreed a
two-and-a-half-year deal worth £6million a season at
PSG.
The French club have joined Europe’s biggest spenders
after being taken over by the Qatar Investment Authority in
May.
Ancelotti will replace Antoine Kombouare who, despite
leading PSG to the top of Ligue 1 this season, was axed by the Arab
owners as they try to rival the likes of Barcelona and Real
Madrid.
The Italian, who has been out of work since leaving
Chelsea in May, is expected to fly out to the Middle East on Sunday
to join PSG’s winter camp in Dubai, which finishes with a friendly
against another of his former clubs, AC Milan, on January
4.
Sacked: Former Aberdeen player Antoine Kombouare
By then, Ancelotti will hope to have tied up a deal for
Brazilian defender Alex, on the transfer list and banned from the
training ground at Chelsea after falling out of favour with manager
Andre Villas-Boas.
Alex has made just three Barclays Premier League
appearances this season.
Ancelotti’s move has also sparked speculation that Didier
Drogba and Florent Malouda could follow Alex to Paris, while the
52-year-old has also been linked with moves for his old Milan stars
Alexandre Pato and Kaka, who is now at Real Madrid.
Another Milan old boy, David Beckham, is understood to
have agreed a lucrative deal at PSG once his LA Galaxy contract
runs out at the turn of the year.
On the radar: Ancelotti is understood to want to sign
Chelsea's Alex
Ancelotti, sacked by Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich in May
despite leading the Blues to a Barclays Premier League and FA Cup
Double in his first season 12 months earlier, will team up with his
former Milan colleague Leonardo, who is sporting director at
PSG.
Ancelotti, likely to be unveiled on Friday or Saturday,
will be joined by coaches Giorgio Ciaschini and Giovanni Mauri,
both of whom worked with him at Chelsea, along with the ex-France
midfielder Sabri Lamouchi.
