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Julien Laurens, Correspondent
Luis Enrique will be presented as Paris Saint-Germain‘s new head coach with the departure of Christophe Galtier to be announced imminently, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.
ESPN had initially reported on June 6 that PSG sporting director Luis Campos had informed Galtier he would be fired, and the two parties have spent recent weeks in talks over the termination of the manager’s contract.
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Galtier has been summoned to criminal court on Dec. 15 in the first step towards a potential full trial as part of an investigation into racism allegations at his former club Nice.
PSG is expected to present Luis Enrique as the club’s new coach in a news conference on Wednesday, sources told ESPN.
Sources told ESPN that PSG reached a full contract agreement with Luis Enrique earlier this week and he started working on the squad, recruitments and preparation. However, the French club was waiting until a contractual termination agreement was reached with Galtier first before making the new coaching announcement public.
The former Spain and Barcelona coach had expressed interest earlier this year in managing in the Premier League. He has been out of a job since leaving Spain after their elimination from the 2022 World Cup.
He won the Champions League, LaLiga title and the Copa del Rey in his first season in charge at Barcelona. He went on to win LaLiga once more and the Copa del Rey on two more occasions.
Galtier and his son, John Valovic-Galtier, were placed in custody for questioning last Friday over allegations of racist and anti-Muslim comments while he was in charge of Nice between 2021 and 2022.
After his son was released without charge, Galtier was referred to the public prosecutor’s office and will stand trial on charges of psychological harassment and discrimination.
Galtier has denied accusations that he made racist and anti-Muslim comments while he was in charge of Nice when the scandal broke earlier this year.
If found guilty, Galtier risks a maximum sentence of three years in jail and a fine of €45,000 ($49,000).
Galtier succeeded Mauricio Pochettino as PSG head coach last summer and led the club to the 2022-23 Ligue 1 title but failed to deliver the European success the club craves.
PSG were knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich in the round of 16 — their second straight exit from that stage of the competition.
Former Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann had opened talks with PSG to replace Galtier, ESPN reported on June 4, but those negotiations broke down soon after.