Al-Ittihad target France manager Didier Deschamps | OneFootball

Al-Ittihad have made contact with France manager Didier Deschamps, according to a report from L’Équipe. The former AS Monaco and Olympique de Marseille manager’s chapter as manager of Les Bleus will come to an end upon the conclusion of next summer’s FIFA World Cup.

Deschamps announced his decision to step down after the World Cup back in January and told Téléfoot on Sunday that he would not be going back on that decision. He also confirmed that there had been contact with clubs looking to secure his services for next season.

The Frenchman, who has said that he is “not closing any doors”, has been contacted by Al-Ittihad in recent weeks. It was at the time that Laurent Blanc was replaced by Sergio Conceicao, but the decision to hire the latter does not rule out Deschamps arriving in the summer, L’Équipe understands.

The plan for the Saudi Pro League club would be for Deschamps to replace Conceicao when the former’s deal expires. However, the France manager does not want to rush his decision, and for now, he is fully focused on Les Bleus’ World Cup qualifying campaign.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle