Claudio Ranieri's return to management delayed by freakish French FA rule

Claudio Ranieri will try to revive his career in France after the French soccer league gave permission to Nantes to hire the former Leicester manager on Tuesday.

The Italian coach will reportedly sign a two-year deal.

"I think that our organisation appealed to him and the fact that there is no intermediary between the coach and the president", Kita explained.

The Italian led Leicester City to a shocking Premier League triumph in 2015-2016, but was sacked last season, with Craig Shakespeare doing a great job to help the Foxes recover from their slump and finish in the Top 10.

With the Foxes hovering just one point above the relegation zone, the Italian was relieved of his duties on February 23 after the team returned home from a 2-1 Champions League defeat to Sevilla.

Ranieri's departure coincided with an upturn in Leicester's fortunes under Craig Shakespeare and they finished the season comfortably in mid-table.

Ranieri succeeds Sergio Conceicao after the former Portugal winger left Nantes in order to take over at Porto.

He also has experience of French domestic football, having overseen Monaco's promotion to Ligue 1 in 2012-13 before guiding them to second place behind Paris Saint-Germain the following season.

Nantes won the last of its eight titles in 2001.