Valencia’s hopes of appointing Manuel Pellegrini as Coach in the summer have reportedly taken a blow as the Chilean is in talks with Zenit St Petersburg.
According to Life78 via Superdeporte, the outgoing Manchester City boss is already looking to secure his future and could be tempted by the Russians, who are prepared to offer him €4m per season.
“Pellegrini is the only candidate with whom Zenit are talking to at the moment,” said the TV channel.
“There’s already an agreement in principle, but there are still some outstanding issues to iron out.”
However, Life78 adds that Pellegrini is holding out for a four-year contract, as opposed to the two-year deal already proposed to him by Zenit, and is demanding full control of the squad.
Current boss Andre Villas-Boas is still expected to leave Zenit at the end of the season, despite general manager Maxim Mitrofanov’s claim that the Portuguese could yet have a change in heart.
Such a move would reunite Pellegrini with former City man Javi Garcia and leave Valencia at a crossroads over giving Gary Neville a longer run or looking elsewhere, with ex-Chile trainer Jorge Sampaoli in view.
