Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed the capture of Laurent Blanc as coach - but left the door open for Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger to join them next summer.
Blanc, who won the 1998 Word Cup with France as a player and coached them at Euro 2012, has signed a two-year deal - a year, with an option for a further 12 months - to manage the new French champions following Carlo Ancelotti's move to Real Madrid as successor to Jose Mourinho.
But megabucks PSG still want Wenger to come home from England when his Emirates contract expires next summer.
And if Wenger finally agrees to join his long-time admirers, Blanc will be axed - regardless of his achievements next season.
It is set to place the Gunners' French coach at the centre of a tug-of-war between the two clubs.
PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi who tried to sign Wenger two years ago and at the end of last season, is also general manager of al-Jazeera Sport, which employs Wenger as a pundit.
Arsenal are understood to be confident, however, of hanging onto Wenger by tying him to a new contract.
Chief executive Ivan Gazidis has confirmed the club want to keep the 63-year-old, despite disquiet among fans over the team's performances and his failure to recruit big-name stars.
With Manchester United figurehead Sir Alex Ferguson retired, Wenger's 18 years in north London makes him by far the longest-serving manager in the Premier League.
But he is still seen as the man to take the club forward following the recent "escalation of financial firepower" that is set to see them smash their transfer record and wage structure to land Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain.
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