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Football

06th Apr 2023

José Mourinho offered more than £100m to coach Saudi Arabia

Callum Boyle

Mourinho has previously flirted with the idea of international management

José Mourinho has reportedly been offered a deal to become the coach of the Saudi Arabia national team in a deal that would make him the highest-paid manager ever.

Mourinho’s contract with Roma expires in 2024 however there have been disputes over performances on the pitch as well as a lack of investment in the playing squad, leading to doubts over his future.

Corriere dello Sport have claimed that Saudi Arabia have offered the former Chelsea boss an escape route out of Rome to take charge of the side in a deal worth €60m each year and allow the 60-year-old to have two options.

One of those would be to leave the two-year deal a year early while the other would allow him to extend it so that he would take charge at the 2026 World Cup.

Italian media have also claimed that he could link up with Cristiano Ronaldo once more at Al Nassr with the side’s current boss, Rudi Garcia, expected to depart at the end of the season.

Ronaldo worked with Mourinho at Real Madrid between 2010-2013, winning the LaLiga title and the Copa del Rey together.

The ex-Chelsea and Tottenham boss has previously flirted with the idea of international management. In 2020, he told AS: “Yes I want to coach a national team, I want to have the experience of a World Cup and European Championship, the emotion of the short competition.”

Additionally, Mourinho has also reiterated his desire to work in the Premier League again. He hasn’t worked in the top flight since leaving Spurs in April, 2021.

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