New Leeds United sole owner Andrea Radrizzani wants to emulate Newcastle United’s recipe for Championship success by appointing a top-notch manager and backing him in the transfer market, according to the Daily Star.
The newspaper report that Radrizzani has targeted Claudio Ranieri as his first choice to replace Garry Monk, who handed in his resignation on Thursday.
The Star claim the Leeds owner, who took full control of the club at the start of this week, is convinced that Ranieri is the man to end Leeds’ 13-year Premier League drought.
It is said that Radrizzani has already approached the Italian, 65, and is confident of luring him to Elland Road in what would be regarded as coup given that he steered Leicester to their remarkable title triumph last season.
Ranieri is keen on a return to management after being out of work since his shock sacking by Leicester in February.
It remains to be seen whether he would be interested in dropping down a division to a Championship club given that his reputation remains high and he is a manager in demand.
But the Star report that Radrizzani is hoping that Ranieri will emulate Rafael Benitez, who stayed with Newcastle after their Premier League relegation and steered them to the Championship title and instant promotion this season.
The Italian businessman is said to be keen for Ranieri to do something similar and is willing to back him with in the transfer market with “significant signings”.
Newcastle were the biggest spenders in the Championship last summer as the likes of Dwight Gayle and Matt Richie were recruited for £10million-plus fees.
Ranieri has an impressive track record that culminated in his career high point of steering Leicester to their extraordinary Premier League success last season.
He has won four league titles during his 29-year managerial career, including Serie C at Cagliari, Serie B at Fiorentina and Ligue 2 at Monaco.
Ranieri, who has also managed giants Chelsea and Inter Milan, is available after being sacked by Leicester in February of this year.
Aitor Karanka is one of the other frontrunners for the role, and Sky Bet have placed him as the early favourite to become the next Leeds boss.
The Daily Star report that the Spaniard is regarded as second choice by Leeds and they will only turn to him if they are rejected by Ranieri.
The Yorkshire giants announced Monk’s resignation on their official website on Thursday afternoon after he turned down the club’s offer of a 12-month contract.
Under Monk’s leadership, Leeds finished seventh in the recently-completed Championship campaign after a final-month collapse meant they missed the play-offs by five points.