No Grazie: Italian Report Claims Claudio Ranieri Turned Down Return as Leicester City Boss

Former Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri turned down the opportunity to return as manager following the sacking of Craig Shakespeare. Before Claude Puel was given the nod to take over the Foxes, the Italian was asked whether he would return to the club where he won an unprecedented Premier League title in 2016.

That is according to Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, who in an interview with the former Chelsea boss, now at Ligue 1 side Nantes, claim that the East Midlands club made a sensational attempt to bring Ranieri back to the King Power Stadium.

However, he politely but firmly rebuffed their advances, with a: "No, grazie". 

The wounds of 66-year-old clearly are yet to heal following his sacking at the King Power Stadium, which drew mass uproar from fans and pundits alike who were aghast at seeing the man who brought a fairytale, 5000-1 chance victory to the Premier League also-rans. Ranieri lost his job the following February, after his side were just one point above the relegation zone.

Ranieri is now flying high again, with his plucky Nantes side currently sitting fifth in the Ligue 1 table, just nine points away from leaders Paris Saint-Germain. 

While catching the Parisian giants may prove a step too far for the charismatic Italian, he's certainly proving once again that he has a knack for turning an average group of players into a cohesive and successful unit.

Leicester City enjoyed a winning start to life under their new boss Claude Puel, who took over from Craig Shakespeare after a rocky start to the 2017/18 campaign. 

While Foxes fans may have to wait some time to win another Premier League title, they will be hoping that Puel is capable to keeping them in the division, with a view to push on to greater things next season.