Italian manager Luciano Spalletti has no intention of putting an end to his sabbatical year following his Serie A title-winning campaign with SSC Napoli. Rudi Garcia’s predecessor at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona is being courted by PIF-funded Saudi Arabia outfit Al-Ahli. According to a report from Foot Mercato this Friday afternoon, the 64-year-old manager has turned down the opportunity to coach the Jeddah-based outfit. Al-Ahli are set to sign Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin as well as treble-winning Manchester City forward Riyad Mahrez.
The French publication understands that Spalletti would rather wait for Massimiliano Allegri to depart Juventus and replace him for the 2024-2025 Serie A season. The Bianconeri ‘s newly-appointed Sporting director is Cristiano Giuntoli. The latter was Napoli’s Sporting director and he would be very keen to reunite with his former colleague. The prospect of coaching Juventus would certainly appeal to Spalletti, who has already managed three top-tier Serie A clubs with AS Roma (2005-2009, 2016-2017), Inter (2017-2019) and Napoli (2021-2023).
GFFN | Bastien Cheval
