Claudio Ranieri shocks AS Roma as the 73-year-old returns to Rome for a third time after the Serie A side sacked Ivan Juric

CLAUDIO RANIERI has completed a shock retirement U-turn and returned for a third time as Roma manager, according to reports.

The legendary Italian, 73, took charge of the Serie A giants from 2009 to 2011 and then again in 2019.

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However, he ended his illustrious career in management when he left Cagliari at the end of last season.

However, he is understood to have agreed to return to the Stadio Olimpico dugout.

Fabrizio Romano tweeted: “Claudio Ranieri and his lawyers have already signed all the official documents regarding his return to AS Roma as head coach.”

And this news is widely reported in the Italian media.

Ranieri became Roma’s third manager this season.

Daniele De Rossi, who took over from Jose Mourinho in January, was sacked just four games into the 2024-25 season and the board then fired Ivan Juric earlier this week.

Novel They sit 12th in the Serie A table after Sunday’s 3-2 defeat at home to Bologna.

It was their fourth defeat in their last five league games, including a 5-1 defeat to Fiorentina, and spelled the end for Juric after just 53 days and 12 games in charge.

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Erik ten Hag was available for the vacant Roma position but was ignored in favor of Ranieri.

The former Leicester boss reportedly held successful talks with Roma owner Dan Friedkin and his son Ryan in London on Wednesday and discussed the terms of his contract.

The experienced veteran, who was a Roma fan as a child, heartbreakingly missed out on both the Serie A championship and the Coppa Italia title in 2010 against Inter, the team with whom Mourinho won three times.

He resigned in February 2011 after losing 4-3 to Genoa after leading 3-0.

In his brief return in March 2019 to see out the rest of the season.

But his remarkable achievement will always be the iconic Premier League title he won by beating Leicester City 5,000-1 in 2015-16.

The Dilly-Ding Dilly-Dong boss led the relegation-threatened Foxes to an unlikely victory, finishing ten points clear at the top of the table and booking their place in the Champions League.

Ranieri announced that he was leaving the club management earlier this year. He led Cagliari to promotion to Serie A, where he first managed in 1988 and then kept them in the top flight.

He had suggested Cagliari would be his final club team but remained open to international offers despite a nightmare experience with Greece in 2014.

But the temptation of another spell for his beloved Rome was too much to resist.

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