Watford said to have offered manager €3.5m – But he rejected the approach

If the Italian sport media is to be believed, Carlo Ancelotti is edging closer to the sack at Napoli.

There’s been all kinds of problems at the Serie A club this season, on and off the pitch, and they currently find themselves seventh in the league.

For some sources, Gennaro Gattuso is the man who will take over, with it being claimed multiple times the AC Milan legend has held talks with Napoli and will take the role once Ancelotti leaves.

To do so, he’s rejected Watford.

That’s according to RAI journalist Ciro Venerato, who’s claimed Watford and clubs from China made offers to Gattuso which were knocked back.

Firenzeviola quote Venerato as saying: “After the Champions League match (Napoli v Genk on Tuesday), Gennaro Gattuso will be the new coach of the Azzurri and against Parma it will be his first time on the bench. The former Milan manager refused Watford which offered him 3.5m salary, China, where two clubs also gave him 7/8m a year and finally Fiorentina, which gave him a three-year contract. Napoli, however, had already moved from Friday.”

Gattuso would surely have been something of a gamble for Watford, and, like always, it’s inevitable that claims are made about managers rejecting a job once it’s been given to someone else.

Watford have appointed Nigel Pearson, and would almost certainly reject claims from around Europe of them approaching other possibilities first.