Fabrizio Romano has tweeted this morning to say that the Spaniard is going to turn down the Saudi club’s proposal, which was put to him after they recently sacked Nuno Espirito Santo.
Lopetegui has been out of work since leaving Wolves just days before the 2023/24 Premier League season.
He walked away from Wolves having grown frustrated with life at the club and having felt the goalposts had been shifted with regards to transfers
Lopetegui left the club after taking the final pre-season friendly with Rennes, although he had actually informed Matt Hobbs of his desire to leave the club straight after the game with Celtic.
It looked as though a swift return to management was on the cards – but a move to Saudi now appears to be off the table for the 57-year-old…
According to Fabrizio Romano, Lopetegui will not become Al Ittihad’s new head coach, after he had held advanced talks with the the Saudi club.
The renowned journalist says he has been told that Lopetegui has a full focus on managing another Premier League club.
After leaving Wolves, it was reported that it was Lopetegui’s intention to remain in England’s top flight.
He said himself on a recent Football Daily podcast that he wanted to take another Premier League job, after leaving Wolves
So it now looks as though Lopetegui will not be following Ruben Neves to the Saudi Pro League and his decision to reject Al-Ittihad’s proposal does stack up with what’s been reported previously and what he himself has said.