Reportedly keen to replace Mauricio Pellegrino as soon as they can, Valencia are believed to be deep in negotiations with Ernesto Valverde.
In contrary to the approach in the summer when Unai Emery departed Mestalla, sporting director Braulio Vazquez is understood to have been tasked this time with finding a new Coach as soon as possible.
Through Sunday and into Monday morning the reports are that the preferred replacement for Pellegrino is Valverde. The former Athletic Bilbao, Espanyol and Villarreal man was believed to be a contender for the job in the summer after Emery, before eventually losing out to Pellegrino.
Braulio is now understood to have returned to the 48-year-old, whose latest work was with Olympiacos in Greece, and an agreement has reportedly been reached, in principle. A sticking point, however, is in the contract length, with Los Che offering only until the end of the season and Valverde eager for a contract beyond next June.
At the same time, Valverde is reported to also hold a verbal agreement with Athletic President Jose Urrutia to return to the Basques’ bench if Marcelo Bielsa departs. This is a situation that sees Valverde reportedly content to sit unemployed to the end of the season, if Valencia cannot convince him on a deal.
Valencia are believed to also have alternatives in their sights, with former Espanyol target Marcelino Garcia Toral heading the queue and closely followed by former Barcelona B and Roma boss Luis Enrique.
