Paris Saint Germain vs Nice - Paris St Germain hope to hang on to talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Paris St Germain boss Laurent Blanc has vowed the French champions have not given up hope of keeping Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The Sweden striker is due to reach the end of his contract in the summer, and reported strong interest from English clubs has made the Barclays Premier League his expected next destination.

Ibrahimovic has craftily avoided any commitment, while tantalisingly dropping hints about where his future may lie.

It has appeared unlikely he would stay in Paris, however if Blanc and owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi have their way then Ibrahimovic could yet remain at the Parc des Princes.

"There's nothing new," said Blanc on Friday. "We're still in a period of reflection. These aren't the signs we need. The wish of the club is to talk with him and to know what exactly he wants to do.

"We know what we want to do with him. If we can have a hook, something in common, we'll see.

"Because there are deadlines, it's difficult, but it'll happen... the talks."

Ibrahimovic scored twice earlier in the season as PSG won 3-0 at Nice on their march to the title.

The teams meet again on Saturday in Ligue 1, with Nice harbouring ambitions of finishing second in the table.

A defeat for Blanc's men to Monaco last time out may offer Nice some hope.

One defeat need not mean that PSG's focus has been diverted to their other objectives for the season, given the league has been wrapped up already.

And Blanc added, according to Le Parisien, that winning in their domestic competition can spur PSG for the Champions League quarter-finals, in which the French capital side face Manchester City next Tuesday.

"The best preparation for the Champions League is to win," said Blanc. "We tried to do it against Monaco, even if everyone thinks it wasn't there. In light of what is ahead for us, we have to mobilise individually to get game time. Collectively we have to keep in a winning mindset and not accept defeat."

Angel Di Maria is expected to miss out this weekend after returning with a minor injury from international duty with Argentina.

Claude Puel's Nice may look to Hatem Ben Arfa to provide the spark in Paris.

Ben Arfa may be struggling to earn a place in France's Euro 2016 squad this summer but he can play a major part in earning Nice a Champions League slot.

The former Newcastle player has enjoyed a fine season to date with the team from the Cote d'Azur.

Manager Puel said: "The best is still to come, because he is still learning. For a long time he was a caricature of what we'd wanted to do with him: a little genius capable of flashes of brilliance, and dribbling past six or seven players. But to be a little genius isn't enough.

"We sometimes compare him to (Lionel) Messi for his dribbles, but Messi isn't only about flashes of brilliance: he scores, he makes assists, he is consistent, he blends into the team."

Puel admires the skills of Ben Arfa but does not want Nice to be defined by his play, so is determined not to build the team around him.

"I didn't want that to happen because it's always dangerous for a team to depend on a player like him," Puel said, according to newspaper Nice-Matin.

"When the day comes that he doesn't perform, the team won't exist anymore.

"He's improved a lot in his play without the ball but also in his work rate. He's become a more complete player and can express himself on a very, very high level."