Former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini could be set to land a £4.7 million-a-year deal to take over at AC Milan .
The Chilean has emerged as the club’s top target after Unai Emery opted to join Paris Saint-Germain .
Milan are set to be taken over by a Chinese consortium this summer, with long-term owner Silvio Berlusconi finally set to relinquish control of the club.
The cash-rich Far East group want a big-name manager to lead the new era at the San Siro – and are prepared to bankroll a big spend in order to revitalise their struggling squad.
Pellegrini, who was overlooked for the Everton job, is expected to be keen on joining Milan, if an offer is forthcoming.
He repeatedly stated his preference was to remain the Premier League once his time at the Etihad had come to a close – but his options are becoming limited.
The opportunity to take over at an illustrious club with ambitious owners is likely to appeal.
Pellegrini won three trophies in three seasons with City, including the club’s first ever league-and-cup double in his first year in charge.
He won the League Cup in his final season – but a fourth-place finish in the league left City’s fans and owners disappointed, with the Blues only just managing to claim a Champions League place on the final day of the season.
AC Milan 'want Manuel Pellegrini to be next manager'
AC Milan are reportedly keen to secure the services of Manuel Pellegrini as their next manager.
According to The Mirror, the Serie A club view the former Manchester City boss as a strong candidate to reestablish them as a force in Italian football.
Milan, who are on the verge of being taken over by a Chinese consortium, were previously linked with Sevilla boss Unai Emery, who is expected to take the helm at Paris Saint-Germain.
Pellegrini has been out of work since parting company with City at the end of the season, with reports suggesting that he held talks with Everton before they opted to move for Ronald Koeman.
The Chilean, who was replaced by Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium, could reportedly be handed a £4.7m-a-year deal if he agrees to take over at Milan.
FORMER MANCHESTER CITY BOSS MANUEL PELLEGRINI EMERGES FAVOURITE TO COACH AC MILAN NEXT SEASON
There is a small cluster of names linked with the soon-to-be vacant coaching job at Milan, among which Chilean Manuel Pellegrini is in pole position to replace coach Christian Brocchi, who took over from Sinisa Mihajlovic, next season.
Since news of a potential sale emerged, Milan’s assets have been frozen. The tentative date of the sale was previously June 15 which has now been further complicated by Berlusconi’s deteriorating health and reports of an impending heart surgery.
The state of affairs in Milan
The Italian press believes that the next Milan coach will be determined only after the sale. If Berlusconi fails to succeed in his negotiations with the Chinese, then Brocchi will be allowed to continue coaching Milan. But if the Chinese consortium manages to buy the agreed upon 70 percent stake in the club, then Pellegrini is a possibility because the foreigners would want a big name representing the club.
Unai Emery was the first choice for the Milan coaching role, however he seems to have thwarted Milan’s advances to instead yield to PSG. Gazzetta dello Sport claims that having failed in their pursuit of Unai Emery who has now won 3 Europa Leagues with Sevilla, Milan have turned their attentions to the departing Manchester City boss Pellegrini, who has had decent coaching spells in England and Spain.
The rumour and the denial
The Chilean, who admitted that he always wanted to coach a Serie A team, confessed that there hasn’t been an offer or an enquiry from Milan. His agent Jesus Martinez maintains that his client “is looking for a project, but has never had any contact with Milan.”(via Football Italia)
However he says that updates should be expected soon. “I think we’ll see him on a bench again. Could it be in Italy? I don’t know, I can’t really say because no proposals have arrived from Italy. Over the next few weeks, everything will become clearer.”
Despite the clear denial, Chilean newspaper La Segunda claims that Pellegrini is preparing to fly out to Italy to finalise a contract with the Diavolo (via Football Italia).
Pellegrini is a high profile coach with a vast amount of experience under his belt — perhaps just what Milan needs at the moment after having failed with coaches with less experience. Seedorf, Inzaghi and Brocchi were managers who have had very limited experience on the bench and understandably succumbed to the pressures of expectations. Mihajlovic, despite years of experience in Serie A as a player and a coach, failed to put together a consistent winning team at Milan. Pellegrini who has in the past done well even with low profile teams like Villarreal, taking them to the semi final of the Champions League in 2005, might perhaps be the man for the Milan job.