Gattuso tipped to take over at crisis club Marseille

Gennaro Gattuso is expected to be named as the new coach of French giants Marseille following the resignation of Marcelino Garcia Toral last week, sources close to the discussions said on Wednesday.

The sources said contacts between the Ligue 1 side and the Italian were at an advanced stage, confirming a story first reported by specialist site Foot Mercato.

The 45-year-old Gattuso has notably been in charge at AC Milan and Napoli but has been a free agent since leaving Valencia at the beginning of this year.

A World Cup winner with Italy during a highly successful playing career spent mainly at Milan, Gattuso had recently been linked with Marseille's French rivals Lyon.

Marseille were plunged into crisis last week as Marcelino quit after just seven competitive games in charge.

His departure followed a meeting between fan representatives and the club's hierarchy which reportedly turned nasty, with Marseille saying president Pablo Longoria and several of his senior colleagues were threatened and told to prepare for "war" unless they resigned.

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Longoria, who was close to Marcelino, withdrew to consider his position before eventually deciding to remain at the club.

Marseille are eighth in Ligue 1 after losing 4-0 away to Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday.