Stefano Pioli has reached an agreement with Al-Nassr’s management to leave the team after a disappointing season for the Knights of Najd.
Pioli took over as Al-Nassr manager midway through last season after a poor start under Luis Castro, but he failed to lead Cristiano Ronaldo’s teammates to any silverware.
La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Pioli has an agreement with Fiorentina to return to Serie A and take over the Viola next season.
To avoid losing significant money, Pioli’s contract with Al-Nassr will be terminated after July 3, after he has completed 180 days in Saudi Arabia, thus receiving a significant tax exemption.
At the same time, Al-Nassr’s management began searching for a successor to Pioli, and the first contact they made was with another Italian coach, Luciano Spalletti.
The Saudi offer to Spalletti amounted to €18 million per year, but the sacked Italian national team coach rejected it, preferring to wait before taking on a new club.
Portuguese Sergio Conceicao, who was sacked by AC Milan, is the favorite to succeed Pioli as coach of Al-Nassr.
Conceicao has been on the radar of Saudi clubs for some time and was considered a candidate to coach Al-Hilal. His experience with Porto, coupled with his Portuguese nationality and ability to mesh easily with Cristiano Ronaldo, make him the ideal choice to manage Al-Nassr for the new job.
