Roberto Mancini Offered Lucrative Deal to Coach Saudi Arabia After Quitting Italy

• Saudi Arabia are reportedly set to appoint Roberto Mancini as their new coach
• Mancini recently abruptly quit as Italy's manager
• The offer from Saudi Arabia would make the former Inter Milan manager the best-paid coach in world football

Roberto Mancini resigned as Italy's boss 10 months before the Euro 2024. Shortly after quitting as Italy manager, Mancini was linked with the Saudi Arabia national team coaching job.

The former Manchester City manager has reportedly been offered a lucrative deal to lead Saudi Arabia. Herve Renard quit as the country's coach to lead the French women's team to the 2023 World Cup.

The Middle East country is yet to replace Renard, who masterminded Saudi Arabia's famous 2-1 win over Argentina at the 2022 World Cup, a competition the Argentines went on to win.

Several top names in European football have been linked with the job but no deal has materialized. Saad Al-Shehri has been acting as interim since Renard's departure.

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Mancini has extensive experience and would be the perfect candidate to prepare the team for the 2023 Asian Cup, which is set to take place in Qatar early next year.

The Saudis will be looking to win a fourth Asian Cup title at the continental championship.

Mancini's Saudi Arabia offer

According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Mancini has been courted by Saudi Arabia for quite a while now, and a deal will likely be finalized in the coming days.

According to Gazzetta, the Italian has reportedly been offered a €40 million per year salary and is expected to sign a three-year contract with the Saudis. The former Inter Milan manager was reportedly making around €4 million as manager of the Azzurri.

That salary would make him the highest-paid manager in world football. Currently, Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone is the highest-paid coach in the world, receiving €34 million per season.

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The Saudi Pro League's stature in football is growing rapidly, especially this year. Clubs from the league have signed some top talents from Europe, like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and likely Neymar.

Mancini quits Italy

Sports Brief earlier reported on Mancini quitting as manager of the Italian national team.

Mancini was appointed in May 2018 after Italy's failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup under Gian Piero Ventura.

A former international, Mancini won Euro 2021 with Italy but then failed to qualify his side for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.