Cesare Prandelli, the Fiorentina coach, has reportedly signed a four-year deal to succeed Marcello Lippi with the Italian national side after the World Cup.
The president of the Italian federation, Giancarlo Abete, was given permission by the Serie A club earlier this month to talk to Prandelli, and the two men met in Rome to discuss the matter. Lippi stepped down as the Azzurri coach after leading the team to World Cup success in Germany four years ago, but resumed the role two years ago. The 62-year-old will again leave his post after this summer's tournament in South Africa, and believes the federation have got the right man in Prandelli to replace him.
"I told the president Abete at Christmas that I intended to finish these two years and then leave," Lippi said today. "Prandelli is the right person in the right place, but we will talk about this more in depth in the future. We will also talk further down the line, if you like, of the reasons which have pushed me to leave the national team for the second time."
The former Italy coach Arrigo Sacchi is also confident Prandelli is the right man for the job. He told Sky Italia: "Cesare has shown already many times that he is a great coach, a great personality. He is technically excellent and a person I respect. Working for the national team is not like being a club coach – you are a coach that has to do a lot in a short space of time."
Prandelli is the longest-serving coach in Serie A, having joined Fiorentina in the summer of 2005. The 52-year-old is under contract with the Florence club until June 2011.