Jose Mourinho has emerged as a candidate to be the permanent Al-Ittihad manager – and the Roma boss has already claimed Cristiano Ronaldo has helped persuade him to one day move to Saudi Arabia.
Roma boss Mourinho claims to have received the "biggest and craziest offer" in managerial history, which reportedly came from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal - the club Neymar plays for. However, current Saudi champions Al-Ittihad have a vacancy after the dismissal of Nuno.
The experienced Portuguese boss guided the club to their first league title in 14 years in May, having already won the won the Saudi Super Cup. That preceded a host of superstars joining the club as part of a financially-backed recruitment drive.
Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Fabinho were among the high-profile arrivals at the Jeddah club but things have not gone to plan this season with the club languishing in sixth place. They trail league leaders Al-Hilal by 11 points after 12 rounds of action, and parted company with Nuno on Tuesday.
Former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui is believed to be under consideration, despite his intention of remaining in England. Mourinho is more open to a move, although any move is likely to have to wait until a summer due to being in the middle of the season with Roma.
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Mourinho has spoken of his openness of managing in Saudi Arabia. He has achieved success during his two-year spell at Roma – winning the Europa Conference League in his first season and reaching the Europa League final in his second – but underwhelming domestic form has seen his future in the Italian capital come under scrutiny.
Ronaldo’s switch to Riyadh, coming two months after his mutual exit from Manchester United, preceded a long list of European-based stars moving to Saudi in the summer – and Mourinho, who joined the board of directors of Saudi Arabia's Mahd Sports Academy earlier this year, has spoken of how the forward has given him inspiration for a move to the Middle East.
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Cristiano Ronaldo joined Saudi club Al-Nassr in January (Getty Images)"During the holidays, I received the biggest and craziest offer a coach has ever received in the history of football," Mourinho said in September. "And I turned it down. I did so because I'd given my word to my players, I'd given my word to the fans and I'd given my word to the club owner."
However, the Portuguese boss has subsequently spoken to MBC Egypt TV channel – which is owned by Saudi MBC Group – in which he outlined his desire to move to Saudi Arabia in the future: "I will go to Saudi Arabia in some free time, but I am convinced that I will work there.
"I don't know when, but I am pretty sure of it. No one knows the future, but I will definitely do this [working in Saudi Arabia]. Doors are always open for me in Saudi Arabia. I want to feel the development there."
Mourinho then continued that it was move of Ronaldo in January to the Middle Eastern nation that gave him the inspiration to consider his own future in moving out to Saudi, when he may have previously been sceptical amid others not making the move away from Europe. "Cristiano was the first to go there and give a different perspective immediately," the boss added.
"The players thought at first that it was a one-man show but they realised in the summer that everything was really changing. Many players, not just at the last period of their careers, but also some players at the best years of their careers, are coming because the competition is real, not just at domestic League, but also the AFC Champions League is very interesting."
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