Claudio Ranieri plays down Leeds United speculation

Former Leicester City manager and Premier League winner Claudio Ranieri has played down speculation linking him with the Leeds United job, according to TrainingGroundGuru (via The Daily Express).

Reports on Friday were suggesting that the 65-year-old was on the shortlist to take over from Garry Monk, who resigned earlier in the week after just a year at Elland Road.

The 38-year-old led the club to their best Championship finish since 2011, concluding the campaign in seventh and five points adrift of the play-offs, yet was unable to agree a new long-term deal with the new owner Andrea Radrizzani.

And with rumours and speculation flying around with regard to who might take over, former Foxes boss Ranieri, who of course led the Midlands outfit to the most remarkable of Premier League titles in 2016, has denied any approach from the Leeds hierarchy.

He said: ‘I don’t know anything about this Leeds story.

‘I haven’t spoken to them.

‘I’m in London to watch the FA Cup final tomorrow [Saturday]. I’ll be supporting my old team Chelsea of course.’

These comments may come as a blow to Leeds fans, although it doesn’t mean that the Yorkshire outfit won’t approach Ranieri over becoming the club’s new manager in the coming days or weeks.

The 65-year-old has been out of work since losing his job at Leicester back in February, with the club languishing near the bottom of the Premier League table, although he will go down in history given his incredible title success with the Foxes back in 2016.

However, it very much remains to be seen whether his next job is indeed at Leeds.