Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho reveals reason for Paris Saint-Germain job rejection

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has revealed the motivation behind his decision to reject the chance to take over at Paris Saint-Germain.

Mourinho, who returned for his second spell in charge at Stamford Bridge in June 2013, was coveted by PSG and director of football Leonardo following the takeover of the club by Qatar Sports Investments four years ago. However their attempts to entice the Portuguese away from Real Madrid were in vain.

Speaking ahead of Chelsea's Champions League Round of 16 first-leg visit to the Parc des Princes on Tuesday evening, Mourinho has admitted that he did meet the PSG hierarchy but claims his decision not to switch to the French capital was largely due to his desire to achieve success in all three of European football's strongest leagues, after impressive stints in both the Premier League and Serie A.

"I know the PSG project well, I know it well because when they started this project with the owner, the president and Leonardo, I was to be the coach," he told the pre-match press conference.

"I met them in Qatar. The project was to start ­dominating in France, then Europe. The domination in France is there, they are champions, champions, champions. They know they are going to be champions. They know other teams will not resist and that they can even lose a few matches.

"But I didn't go because I was at Real Madrid and it was a real ambition for me to be a champion in Spain, England and Italy. It was not the right moment for me to go."

Mourinho did achieve domestic success during a turbulent three-year reign at the Santiago Bernabeu, winning the 2011-12 La Liga title after finishing nine points ahead of fierce rivals Barcelona.

Chelsea head into their latest European tie with a slight psychological advantage, having progressed past PSG on aggregate at the quarter-final stage last season thanks to second-leg efforts from Andre Schurrle and Demba Ba.

And while Chelsea currently sit pretty in the English top flight with a seven-point buffer from nearest challengers Manchester City, PSG, currently managed by Laurent Blanc, are third in Ligue 1 and were criticised over the weekend for only managing to draw 2-2 at home to lowly Caen.

Diego Costa is expected to return to Chelsea's starting lineup following a three-match ban for a stamp on Liverpool's Emre Can, while Mourinho will come up against a familiar foe in the shape of former Chelsea defender David Luiz.

Jon Obi Mikel is certain to miss the match having been left at home to nurse a knee injury, while Cesc Fabregas remains a doubt due to illness.