Former Marseille sporting director Mehdi Benatia hints to PSG future | OneFootball

No sooner had Mehdi Benatia stepped down as sporting director at Olympique de Marseille than he has already returned to the centre of the debate.

Appearing on the latest episode of Aurélien Tchouameni’s (26) show ‘The Bridge‘, alongside Paul Pogba (33) and French rapper Soprano, the former Moroccan international (66 caps, two goals) has been asked to comment on a potential future move… to Paris Saint-Germain.

A possibility which, rather than resorting to diplomatic niceties, the 39-year-old executive seems to have fully embraced.

“If, in the future, I’m still talking to people like Nasser Al-Khelaïfi – with whom, I repeat, I have a great deal of respect and affection – and he needs me – not straight away, because if I stop now, I need to take a break, I really need to rest – but in three, four or five years’ time, if there’s a project where I need to return to football, and Nasser needs me, and it has to be in a role at Paris Saint-Germain, and if, at that point, I fancy it…,” Benatia replied.

“But why should I owe anyone anything? I don’t owe anyone anything! I don’t owe anyone anything. If you’re expecting me to say ‘no’ because I owe it to so-and-so… I don’t owe anyone anything.”

A statement that at least has the merit of being frank, but which is obviously unlikely to go down well with Marseille fans, the capital club’s fierce rivals.

A native of the Paris region, Benatia has strong ties to Marseille, where he came through the youth academy, but was never given the chance to make his professional debut for OM, having spent time on loan at several clubs before his permanent move to Clermont Foot 63.

GFFN | Léo Aschi