How much would it cost Manchester United to hire Mauricio Pochettino from PSG?

Mauricio Pochettino may be one of the two frontrunners for the Manchester United manager's job, but there may be one major sticking point in the move – his current job at PSG.

Latest reports suggest that Erik ten Hag – the other favorite for the United role – has a release clause in his Ajax contract that would make him available for less than £2m.

The prospect of landing the Dutchman for a cut-price fee could well see him edge ahead of Pochettino in the race to the Old Traffor dugout.

So how much would it cost Man United to take Pochettino from PSG this summer?

The Argentinian signed a contract extension last July, keeping him in the French capital until June 2023 on a salary of about €1.1m a month.

With no release clause in French contracts, United would have to pay PSG compensation, usually to the cost of the rest of the manager's contract. If they were to hire Pochettino this summer, that would likely mean paying a fee to PSG of somewhere in the region of £11.1m (€13.2m).

There is one hope that they could secure Pochettino cheaper than that, though.

The former Tottenham boss has not been seen a successful hire in Paris. While they are running away with the French title this season, performances have not been at the standard expected for a team with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar at their disposal, they were pipped to the Ligue 1 trophy by Lille last season, and they were knocked out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage in March.

The hope in Manchester, if they do opt for Pochettino, is that PSG sack the Argentinian and pay out the compensation themselves. 

But the cost for PSG would be even higher: Pochettino has his own backroom team, who would also be let go. The cost of clearing them out is reported to be around £6m.

Unsurprisingly, feeling in the French capital is that they can avoid the cost of sacking their head coach if United poach him first.